


Know Your Sacrifice

by Arrancon515



Category: Bleach
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Friendship, Gen, Minor Original Character(s), Post-Canon, Strong Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:01:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 39,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23504275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arrancon515/pseuds/Arrancon515
Summary: Ten years after the Thousand Year Blood War, the last of Ywhach's power vanished in the Soul Society. In Hueco Mundo, the last of his followers returns to finish his vision. One Espada must come to terms with her past failures and stop him from achieving his ultimate victory.(A continuation of the Bleach canon, post Final Arc and Can't Fear Your Own World light novels; reading those novels is unnecessary but helpful for understanding minor parts of this story).
Comments: 38
Kudos: 27





	1. REstart: REbirth

Hueco Mundo is an unchanging land of desolation. Despite two wars having been waged in the dimension less than 3 years apart, the dark sky still hung like an umbrella and its white sands still covered the landscape. Countless minor Hollows still hunted each other across its endless expanse, many unaware that they were living in a time of peace under new leadership.

The takeover by the Wandenreich seemed like it had occurred centuries ago, when it had only been 10 years since their fall. Barely any trace of their presence remained. Debris of small outposts from the hunting parties were covered by piles of sand, flags once flowing high ripped down and used as cloaks for Arrancars that wandered the harsh world. The only structure left was the impressive Las Noches, the former castle of Sosuke Aizen, its gigantic dome a beacon for any Arrancar wishing to serve under the last remaining Espadas. Here, they would be subservient but protected. There was no need to incite war anymore.

A statement one found illogical.

He could feel him disappear, even from within the depths of Las Noche’s deepest levels where he lay hidden for the past decade. His Majesty, Lord Ywhach, the savior of the Quincy race, the one who would restart the world in his image, had bestowed upon him a portion of his own soul. Any Quincy with an inkling of his blood left within them could feel his presence. Ten years ago, he had used his great power of The Almighty to target the future, where he would destroy his enemies in their happiest moment. Exactly who or what Ywhach was trying to eliminate did not matter, for at this moment the last trace of his power had simply vanished.

Lord Ywhach had been conquered. His vision of the future would not come to be.

With this, it was time for the _Letzte Aufgabe_ * to commence. All of the calculations had led to this. It was time to reactivate.

The rebirth was easy. With a hiss from his hibernation pod, he took his first steps in his new body with no hesitation at all. He examined his hidden quarters, his singular red optic scanning the dark room for any abnormality before grabbing a cloak hanging from the wall. He walked to the opposite wall, placing his hand into it and then his body. He eventually passed through the convincing barrier illusion and into the large green hallway.

No alarms sounded: excellent. The Hollows above could not sense him still. Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out a small device and pressed the singular button on it. Somewhere in the castle, his ally’s own pager responded.

And thus, the true Quincy victory was ready to begin.

* * *

“Will you yield?”

The throne room of Las Noches was a wreck. Once pristine pillars lie on the floor, having been blasted by small Ceros. Splatters of blood were dotted across the tile floor, as well as some of the spectators who unknowingly stood in the splash zone. They didn’t seem to mind, as this event only took place once a year.

Standing in the center of the large staircase leading up to the two ruling seats of Hueco Mundo was a tan blonde woman, wielding a hollowed-out sword. Her three ponytails were draped over her shoulders, her black leather bodysuit unzipped and exposing her bony armored chest. A grim, toothed mask covered her mouth, half of it hanging off from a recent attack in her duel. A bold number 3 tattoo sat on her right breast, a reminder of her former rank in an obsolete army.

She was Tia Halibel, the Shark Queen of Hueco Mundo, formerly the _Tres_ Espada in Sosuke Aizen’s army.

Her piercing green eyes glared down at her opponent on the floor below, the blue-haired man wobbling to his feet. He glared up at her with a snarl gripping his own blade tightly. “Like hell I will!”

Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. The former Sexta Espada, perhaps the most bloodthirsty of all of Halibel’s former comrades, with a desire to be the strongest. A nuisance most of the time, but a powerful one. In the years since Ywhach’s defeat, Grimmjow had kept a shaky relationship with Halibel. Some years ago he began his first open challenges towards her position as leader, with Halibel agreeing to humor him as long as they were not life-or-death battles. No Resurrección, either. A flat contest of skill. Each time she had beaten him down, just to the point of knocking him unconscious, and Grimmjow would always come back to prove his strength again without fail. This time was going just about as well as the last ones did.

A medic foolishly ran to Grimmjow, prepared to heal his lacerated arm. The panther did not take kindly to this, and he swung at her with his Zanpakuto.

“Back off!” he shouted, ready to kill her if she even took another step his way, “This isn’t your fight to interfere in!”

“That wound is quite deep, Grimmjow!” a voice from behind Halibel called out, “Just submit and allow her to heal you!”

The concerned party was Nelliel tu Odelschwanck, Halibel’s equal as Tres Espada. Once cast out from the Espada by the machinations of the deceased Quinto Espdada Nnoitra Gilga, the green-haired woman had been transformed into a child-like form during the Arrancar War. During the war against the Wandenreich, she was now able to hold her true adult form through a bracelet given to her by Kisuke Urahara, the only man whose intellect matched (or even surpassed) their old leader’s. She and Halibel had reached an agreement to co-rule Hueco Mundo, each holding different responsibilities based on their personalities.

Nel was the voice. Tia was the blade.

“Quiet, Neliel!” Grimmjow snapped back, “I’m not done yet!”

“Do not strain yourself!” Nel answered, “There is always next year!”

Standing beside Nel, three women snickered. The Tres Bestias were Halibel’s Fracciones, loyal subordinates and her personal guards. Emilou Apacci the stag, Franceska Mila Rose the lion and Cyan Sung-Sun the anaconda, were rarely apart from each other but constantly quarreled. One of the few things they could agree on was that Grimmjow was a fool for challenging their master Halibel.

“Yeah, right!” Appaci said loudly, so Grimmjow could hear, “How many years has it been already? Maybe 6th times the charm! _Ha-ha!”_

“Don’t mock me, you dumb bitch!” Grimmjow roared, setting his wrath towards her. He attempted to use Sonido to reach Appaci and teach her a lesson, but Halibel would have none of it. Nobody attacked her subordinates. Not anymore.

She caught Grimmjow by the face before he could react, then slammed his head into the hard floor. A spray of dust and cement flew into the air as Halibel kicked the beaten Sexta onto his back.

“Now, we are done,” Tia said, sheathing her sword.

Grunting, Grimmjow watched her walk away as the medic re-approached him. He was battered and bruised, his deep cut the only harsh wound on him. During the fight he had nearly crossed the line, stabbing at Tia’s head with his sword. He managed to cut through her Hollow mask and into her face, which drew a vicious warning slash from the woman that would turn the brief fight in her favor.

“Dammit…” he exasperated, closing his eyes as the healing process began. Shameful.

Halibel appeared at the top of the staircase, and was approached by her subordinates.

“Well done, Miss Halibel” Sung-Sun said, “You did even better than last year.”

“Got that right,” Mila Rose added, smirking at Halibel, “Want us to show Grimmy out?”

“He’s capable of leaving himself,” Halibel replied, removing the broken part of her mask from her face. She wiped the blood from her mouth, and then snapped off the other side of her mask. Painful, but better than having her mask resemble Grimmjow’s. “He’ll be back in a few days once he’s done licking his wounds. Like always.”

Nel placed a hand on Tia’s shoulder, smiling. “You do have to admire his tenacity, right? Maybe one day we can give him a spot without him resorting to violence.”

“Doubtful,” Tia said coldly. Hell freezing over was more likely to happen than Grimmjow not resorting to violence. “We should get going. They’ll be calling us soon.”

“Oh, right!” Nel exclaimed, following after Tia, “I almost forgot that was today! I wonder who it will be this time?”

“Anyone but Kurotsuchi, I hope.”

* * *

Following the battle against Tokinada Tsunayashiro in the Valley of Screams, Tia and Neliel had agreed to work more closely with the Soul Society, in something of a neutral alliance. As long as the Soul Society did not interfere in Hueco Mundo, the Arrancar would not cause any trouble in the World of the Living. Along with this, the two parties would share updates with each other about occurrences in their world, as well as attempting to create friendly relationships with some of the Captains of the Gotei 13. Each call would come from a different division, randomly selected. That was Nel’s suggestion.

Halibel let Neliel do the majority of the talking, as she was naturally chatty. Actually making friends was a mixed bag. While bonds with Isane Koketsu and Rukia Kuchiki were made, other Captains were less cooperative. Sui Feng was strictly business, Mayuri Kurotsuchi was… _something_ , and Kenpachi Zaraki didn’t really understand why he had to talk with them in the first place. Calls with him were usually very brief and non-productive, and eventually devolved into him talking about whose ass he kicked that day before hanging up.

It felt pointless to Halibel. Even if some sort of problem would arise, it wasn’t like the Shinigami needed their help anymore. They had people like Ichigo Kurosaki and Zaraki on their side. This inclusion felt like pity, almost. And Halibel did not take too kindly to that. She didn’t need them to think she was weaker than she knew they already thought she was. Having their Head Captain see her being dragged out of the Warwhelt once free of her imprisonment was already enough of a blow to her.

There were many things she was trying to leave behind. After many years, Tia had finally expunged her wardrobe of her old Espada attire, replacing them with her current attire given to her by Nel. They were “gifts” from her friend Urahara, whom Halibel believed was just a pervert who wanted to ogle her curvy body. Regardless of any ulterior motive, she was glad to have left behind those remnants of betrayal. One she had been too blind to see coming.

Just another one on the list of failures.

“Are you okay?”

Halibel snapped out of her thoughts as Nel’s voice. She hadn’t realized she was staring at the wall silently, with her ally trying to catch her attention for a whole minute or so. “…I am fine.”

“That doesn’t sound too convincing, Tia. Is it about Grimmjow breaking your mask?”

Tia felt her face, where her mask used to sit. She had broken it off so nonchalantly, but now it missing did feel a bit off. “…No. I’m not that worried about my appearance.”

“Then it is something else.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Tia,” Nel’s voice was firm, looking Halibel in the eyes. Rarely did she act so serious. “I know when something is bothering you. You get quiet.”

“Aren’t I usually quiet in general?”

“Yes, but there’s _‘Ooh, I’m so cool’_ quiet and _‘Bleh, I’m not happy’_ quiet.”

That got a smirk out of Halibel. Her co-ruler had a way of making her usually stoic-self show a bit of emotion. “If you say so.”

“We can talk about it later, if you want. You’re my friend, Tia. You can tell me anything.”

_Friend._

Even with her Fracciones, Halibel did not use that term. She cared for them, but she didn’t really _know_ them: what their favorite hobbies were, their personal feelings. With Nel, it was more of a one-way street. She knew about Nel’s struggles and feelings about others; the other Tres Espada had no issues talking openly about herself. She had even invited Tia to join her and her eccentric Fracciones, Pesche and Dondochakka, for their game nights numerous times. Of course, she refused. Not because she disliked Nel. Tia was actually fond of her company at times. Things like ‘friendship’ and ‘being open’ weren’t her thing.

“Maybe, Neliel. Our allies are trying to patch through.”

 _“Oh!_ Whoops!” Nel quickly pressed a button on the monitor in front of them, and a large holographic screen projected before them. On it were two figures; one wearing a large hat and pink kimono, the other donning face paint and a very wide head ornament.

Halibel raised an eyebrow. Two captains was odd; one being the Head Captain and the other the Head of Research and Development was even more of a surprise.

“Hello there, ladies,” Shunsui Kyoraku greeted with a warm smile, “How are things today?”

“Head Captain Kyoraku!” Neliel grinned back, “It’s been so long since we’ve seen you. Everything has been going well since the last session with Captain Yadomaru.”

“Ah, my Lisa,” Kyoraku sighed, “What a woman. Just as beautiful as you two.”

Halibel snorted. Always the flirt, the Head Captain was. 

Laughing, Nel directed her attention to the other Captain on call. He seemed quite agitated by his superior’s behavior, more focused on the tablet in his hand. “Hello, Captain Kurotsuchi. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”

“Hmph. Your apology is irrelevant. We have something very important to discuss, and I’d rather my time not be wasted with your friendly banter.”

“It must be something urgent if you’re both contacting us.”

Shunsui nodded. “Yeah, I’d say it is. I’ll leave it to Kurotsuchi here to go into the details. He’s better at explaining the science mumbo-jumbo jargon than I am”

The scientist moved in front of the Head Captain, eyeing the two Espada. “It really is not that complicated, Head Captain, but I will keep it less detailed so all three of your less-scientifically accustomed minds can understand.”

Mayuri’s way of weaving passive aggressive insults into any conversation was without flaw.

“Approximately three days ago, an unexpected appearance of Ywhach’s power occurred within the Seireitei in the West 55 district.”

 _“What?”_ Halibel interjected, finally joining the conversation, “Impossible.”

“Clearly not,” Mayuri continued, “But what was more interesting was what followed. As his power began to swell in size, it suddenly vanished with no trace. I assume this must be tied to Ichigo Kurosaki having defeated him those ten years ago. I concluded that this trace of his ability was sent into the future before Ichigo landed the killing blow on Ywhach, and with his demise it could no longer function.”

“But that isn’t all, is it?” Tia asked.

“No, of course not. Less than 24 after the power vanished, a Shinigami scout within Karakura Town spotted a Garganta open in the sky. One individual Arrancar exited it. Twenty minutes later, without any sign of violence, his spiritual pressure disappeared. The scout did a thorough investigation of where he had went, but there was nothing abnormal to be found.”

Tia and Nel shared a look. This was news to them. Any travel between the World of the Living and Hueco Mundo was being monitored by Chelute Rudbornn, the bull-masked leader of the Exequias squad. He had mentioned nothing to either of them.

“Luckily they took an image of that individual for documentation,” Mayuri said, projecting an image from his tablet, “Take a good look at the symbol on the individual’s robes. I know you recognize it.”

The two women didn’t recognize the yellow-and blue haired Arrancar himself, but the five-pointed cross he wore was one they knew all too well.

“That’s a Wandenreich cloak,” Nel said, “Why would that Arrancar wear one of those nowadays? The last of them who sided with the Quincies revoked their status as part of their forces long ago.”

“Not many reasons,” Tia answered, “Perhaps it was all he could find to wear. But even then, any of those cloaks should not be in the good condition his is in. He must have taken care of it out of pride, hoping to wear it again someday.”

“Precisely,” Mayuri nodded, zooming in on the Arrancar’s face, “We cannot identify this individual in any of the records you provided us on living Arrancars. And with his apparent ties to the Wandenreich, this is a matter that affects both Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society. We do not want another Quincy uprising to begin after these many years of peace.”

Head Captain Kyoraku stepped back into frame, waving the scientist off. “Very true, very true. We’d like to send a scouting party to Hueco Mundo, to check things out. Captain Iba and his Lieutenant Sentaro Kotsubaki are ready to-

“Not necessary.”

Kyorkau was taken by surprise at Halibel’s quick decline. “Really? I’m not trying to force it upon you, if that’s what you are thinking.”

“This Wandenreich sympathizer is one of our people, and a matter for _us_ to deal with. We will punish him as we see fit, according to our standards. Once we eradicate any of his possible allies we will report back to you if there is anything more sinister to his actions. If not, then this whole thing is nothing for the Soul Society to worry about. I can assure you that.”

There was a firm tone in Tia’s voice; Nel didn’t like it. Too much of the old her was showing through.

Shunsui smirked, shaking his head. “If you say so, Miss Halibel. I trust you will deal with this matter quickly then. Remember, if things go wrong you can always contact us. That’s what friends are for, you know. Stay safe, you two.”

“Goodbye, Head Captain,” Nel smiled, ending the call. Her happy expression faded as she turned to Tia, who was getting ready to leave. “You didn’t need to be so aggressive there.”

 _“Really?”_ Tia hissed, slamming her fist into the wall. A large web-like crack formed upon impact. “They wanted to send help because they don’t think we can handle Quincies on our own. They look down on us. Pity us.”

“You know that isn’t true,” Nel stood up, “We might not have the number of soldiers they do, but that is why they want to assist us in the case of a larger enemy. Captain Kyoraku respects us as equals. As _friends.”_

Tia flinched.

“Stop calling them our-“

She was interrupted by the beeping of her communicator. It was Rudbornn. How convenient.

“Lord Halibel,” Rudbornn addressed the Espada, urgency in his voice, “We have a situation.”

“Is that so?”

“One of my scouting units have reported and engaged with a rogue individual 500 kilometers west of Las Noches. He is acting aggressively and killing my Calaveras when they try to restrain him. They say he is wearing the attire of a Quincy loyalist.”

Tia looked at Neliel, both thinking the same thing. Events were falling into place quickly. Almost too quickly.

“Is he alone?”

“Yes, they say he might be Adjuchas level. Not overly strong, but the Quincy attire is alarming. I figured you may want to see this one personally.”

“You’d be right.” Halibel silenced the communicator, and headed for the door.

“Do you want me to go with you?” Nel asked, though she knew the answer.

“I’ll take the Tres Bestias with me. I want you to go to Rudbornn and interrogate him about that Garganta incident. Don’t hold back, but don’t kill him.”

“You know I don’t use violence unless I have to.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

* * *

**Translations**

_Letzte Aufgabe: "Final Task"_


	2. Turnabout

_“Dammit!”_

The force of Grimmjow’s punch shattered the boulder he was leaning against, crumbling into tiny chunks at his feet. His battle wounds completely gone, he had been pacing the walls of Las Noches since exiting the castle fuming from his defeat.

Every day, he trained in hopes that he would be on the level of Halibel and Nelliel. He had long surpassed his highest power level when he was the Sexta Espada, having jumped at least 4 numbers up in raw strength if the old ranking system was still in place. Hell, even Kenpachi Zaraki had wanted to fight him when they had met briefly! If that didn’t prove he was the strongest, then what would?

However, the female Espadas had grown as well. They were both at least as strong as Coyote Starrk was at the time of his death, if not more powerful. What pissed Grimmjow off was the fact that they didn’t flaunt their power. They were too calm and collected. Noble leaders.

 _‘We have to be civilized, Grimmjow,’_ Nel had told him long ago, when he first tried to become a leader, _‘If you can’t act like a leader than you cannot be one.’_

It was against his very nature to not be aggressive. They wanted him to change that.

Yeah, right! The strong should always demonstrate their superiority over others!

Grimmjow looked over the dome of Las Noches, gritting his teeth. “Just you wait, bitch. I’ll show you!”

“Show her what?”

In his intense anger, Grimmjow had not realized he had a visitor. Peering over his shoulder was the bug-like mask of Pesche Guatiche, doing his best to mock the Sexta’s expression with only his eyes. There were few Arrancar Grimmjow hated more than this one and his fat headed friend.

“Step back or die, bug,” Grimmjow snarled, clenching his fist, “Not in the mood for your dumb crap right now.”

Pesche leaped over him in a blur, wiggling his butt in the Espada’s direction. “Uh-uh-uh! If you do that, Nel will whip your behind… or worse! I have diplomatic immunity! Isn’t that right, Dondochakka?”

“I’m not here, remember!” the tiki-masked Arrancar shouted out from somewhere, hidden quite well.

“But you’re my backup!” What if Grimmjow decides to disobey the law and hurt me?!”

“Like this?” Grimmjow grumbled, shooting a tiny cero from his fingertip at Pesche’s behind. The eccentric Arrancar was sent flying into the air and landed hundreds of meters away in a pile of sand. Amused, Grimmjow was thinking about bullying the annoying pest some more when he sensed four spiritual pressures quickly leaving Las Noches. “Where are they running to so fast?”

A sense of urgency like that meant there was likely something wrong. Something wrong usually meant conflict.

Grimmjow liked that.

“Go dig out your friend over there,” Grimmjow yelled out to a still hiding Dondochakka, running off towards the women, “Because if he’s here when I get back, I might still feel like killing someone!”

* * *

The expansive territory around Las Noches was scattered with dead trees, dunes and boulders, but it was still impossible for even a slightly powerful Arrancar to hide in. Tia and the Tres Bestias were quickly able to sense the spiritual pressure of their target without trouble, using Sonido to reach the coordinates Rudbornn had given them. The four found themselves in a small clump of decrepit forest, the barren branches twisting into a sheltered canopy above the sandy ground. A dozen or so dead Calaveras were scattered about, a clear sign that they were indeed in the right place.

“What a dumb place to hide in,” Apacci said, removing her Zanpakuto Cierva from her wrists, “Let’s just cut the whole forest down to draw him out.”

“Such a brute,” Sung-Sun retorted, slyly looking at Mila Rose, “I’d expect an action like that from the gorilla over there.”

Mila did not take too kindly, “Oh, you wanna start crap right now, Sung-Sun! Don’t shove Appaci’s stupidity onto me!”

“Who you calling stupid, bitch?!”

Halibel pinched her brow. Always the same song and dance with these three. “Not now, you three. The more you argue, the more chances our target can sneak up on us. Focus.”

The Fracciones stop instantly and bowed their heads. “Sorry, Miss Halibel.”

Accepting the shared apology, Halibel turned her attention back to the surrounding area. She looked at the Calaveras corpses, and noticed something odd. The bodies were too clean. They all had one wound each, and not one of them were holding a sword. Had the enemy taken them? What purpose would they have in simple weapons such as that?

A sudden spike in spiritual pressure from all directions put the Espada on high alert. They had foolishly walked into a trap.

“Form a circle,” Tia said calmly to her subordinates, drawing her sword, “Get ready to fight.”

Mila gave her a confused look as she stood back to back with Appaci and Sung-Sun. “Where is the enemy?”

“Everywhere.”

“Excellent observation, _Espada!”_ a new voice called out from within the forest. Halibel and the Tres Bestia watched the newcomer walk from the tree line, standing in the center of the Calavera graveyard. He was definitely the Arrancar they had come for; there was no mistaking his fringe-cut yellow and blue hair. The remnants of his mask formed small spikes that circled around his eyes, with one singular spike curving off the tip of his nose like a hooked beak. He was wearing the same Wandenreich cloak as in the picture, a Quincy cross dangling around his neck. “As expected, of course. It is a pleasure to finally meet you!”

“Unlikely,” Halibel replied. There was no time for wasteful chatter. “If you have any weapons on you, I suggest you drop them and surrender.”

“Oh, I don’t think I’ll do that,” the Arrancar smirked. He pulled up his right sleeve, revealing a steel gauntlet tied to his wrist. With a quick flick, a large sawblade emerged from the front and began to spin. “There’s a few things I have to let happen first, if you don’t mind.”

“No time for that, bozo!” Apacci shouted, “Tell your buddies to stop hiding and show their sorry faces!”

A dark smile formed on the traitor’s lips.

“If you say so.”

The Arrancar whistled, and the branches above began to rustle. Dozens of figures began dropping from above, flanking the traitor and drawing two blades each. More appeared from the desert they had come from, rising up out of the sand and advancing in their direction. Each and every one of them were Calaveras.

“My name is Averstruz Fernaz,” the traitor said, his sawblade beginning to spin and grow, “I will be the one responsible for your defeat. My master will be pleased with me when I bring him your head.”

Three Calaveras suddenly sprinted towards Halibel, swords ready to strike. She deflected the first one’s blade, then vanished from sight. Her high-speed Sonido was too fast for them to follow, and all three were decapitated in seconds. Averstruz, however, was keener. He raised his buzz saw Zanpakuto and blocked Halibel’s lunge from his right side. Though he could sense her coming, he was not prepared for her immense strength and buckled under her blade.

“You’ll bring _who_ my head, exactly?” Halibel asked, with a hint of sarcasm.

 _“Tch!”_ Averstruz jumped back, allowing another trio of Calaveras to rush Halibel. It was a fruitless effort, as they were cut down just as easily as the previous set. He looked over at her allies, hoping his troopers would be handling this fight better. Unfortunately for him, the Tres Bestias were having little trouble with the Calaveras. All three of the women had unleashed their Zanpakuto and undergone Resurrección, tearing through any opposition before them.

“Rudbornn needs to work on creating better soldiers,” Sung-Sun commented as she produced a snake from within her sleeve and punched through a Calaveras’ skull, “Their carelessness will ruin his reputation.”

“Pretty sure he’s not worried about that!” Mila answered, bifurcating two foot soldiers with her broadsword, “That bastard is working with the enemy! He wanted us away from Las Noches to make it easier for himself!”

“If Miss Halibel doesn’t kick his ass, then I sure as hell know Nelliel will!” Apacci said, bashing two Calaveras’ heads together. She glanced over at Halibel who was pushing Averstruz further into the forest. They weaved between tree trunks, Averstruz struggling to keep distance between him and the Espada. The weaker Arrancar was clearly out of his league, having been on the defensive ever since their fight began. He knew he wasn’t going to win, but he wasn’t just going to surrender. There were few options left.

Averstruz reached for the Quincy cross hanging from his neck, concentrating Reishi around his hand to form a second weapon. It was a futile attempt. With a swift upward swing from her Zanpakuto, Halibel lopped off his left hand that held his necklace.

 _“Arrrgh!”_ Averstruz stumbled and fell backwards, gripping his bleeding stump, “You bitch! You’ll pay for this!”

“Will I?” Halibel flicked his blood from her sword, “There is only _one_ ability you could do I haven’t seen yet… If you are even capable of using it, that is.”

_“H-How dare you!”_

Averstruz raised his right arm above him, blue reiatsu emanating from his body. He looked the Espada dead in the eye as he went into his true form. “ _Strike and Rend, Sierra!”_

The sound of his saw spinning at immense speed was followed by a quick burst of blue light. Just as the light faded, Averstruz stood before Halibel and spread his new sawblade wings. His legs had stretched and doubled his height, and his mask had formed around his head into a complete bird-like skull. A large blue Mohawk of feathers sat atop his head. Laughing, he glared down at Tia. “Intimidated? I hope so! I have never been defeated while in my Resurrección! You will fall!”

Aversruz’s wings began to glow blue. With a single flap, he launched a spinning saw Cero at Halibel at high speed. “Taste my _Giro de Corte!”_

Any normal Arrancar would be intimidated by the giant energy blast hurling towards them, but not the Espada. With the saw just a few feet from her, Halibel thrust the tip of her blade into its center and split it in two. The halved attack struck the trees behind her, resulting in a double explosion of blue energy.

“Impossible,” Averstruz gasped, “Those were going at mach speed! They cannot possibly be stopped!”

Tia looked over his larger form for a few seconds. The bird was clearly at his peak power.

“Pitiful.”

She threw her sword upwards, catching it in her opposite hand. With the blade pointed to the ground below her, she held it out straight in front of her. It was time to put him in his place.

_“Hunt, Tiburon.”_

Averstruz stood, frozen in fear, as he witnessed the Resurrección of an Espada for the first time. A burst of water suddenly appeared behind Tia, enveloping her as her body changed form. Moments later, she cut herself free with her new weapon, a giant tooth-like sword covering her entire right arm. Gone was her black bodysuit, replaced with a bony bra and skirt, two long ribbons protruding from her rear. She glared at Averstruz as two lightning bolt marks appeared below her eyes, the weaker Hollow unable to react.

 _“This_ is Resurrección,” Halibel declared, directing her weapon at the traitor. A bright yellow glow formed inside as Averstruz covered himself with his wings as a shield. “And the end of your pathetic revolt.”

* * *

The throne room was completely empty when Nel walked in. She had ordered Rudbornn to meet her there to discuss the current situation, but the bull-headed Arrancar was running late. It put her on edge. Rudbornn was never late to anything.

“I don’t like this at all,” she murmured, putting her hand on her sword’s hilt. She could feel Rudbornn’s spiritual pressure approaching, along with the sound of footsteps. Many footsteps. He wasn’t coming alone, like she had asked. Rudbornn soon entered the room flanked by at least two dozen Calaveras. He and his squad fell to one knee, bowing their head to the Espada.

“Lady Neliel,” Rudbornn greeted her, “Apologies for my late arrival.”

“I told you to see me alone, Rudbornn. There is an important matter at hand.”

“Yes, I am aware. I was preparing these Calaveras to send as backup for Lady Halibel. The enemy is giving her and the Tres Bestias more trouble than they had anticipated.”

“Is that so? The tell me, how was this Quincy follower able to enter the World of the Living through a Garganta without you knowing?”

“I cannot say. Averstruz is a clever individual. He must have done something to avoid my detection.”

Nel narrowed her eyes. “His name is Averstruz?”

The Exequias leader looked up at her. “Yes. Why?”

“How do you know his name?”

Silence.

A few moments of tension later, Rudbornn chuckled. “You’re too clever for your own good, Espada.”

Suddenly, Nel sensed Halibel’s spiritual pressure spike from far away. Why had she just entered her Resurreccion? Was she in danger?

“Looks like Averstruz did his job,” Rudbornn said, standing to his feet and drawing his Zanpakuto. His Calaveras copied his movements, their weapons at the ready. “Halibel will be distracted long enough for us to finish things here.”

Neliel drew Gamuza in the blink of an eye, eyeing down the army of traitors in front of her. Rudbornn was not weak by any means, but he and this small amount of Calaveras could not possibly defeat her. She assumed her battle stance, waiting for them to make the first move.

And then she heard it.

Another set of footsteps, coming from the shadows to her right. They were heavy, metallic. She could hear pistons moving with every step, and a deep humming sound. A singular red eye lit up in the darkness.

 _‘I can’t detect its spiritual pressure,’_ Nel thought, _‘But its standing right in front of me!’_

“Nelliel tu Odelschwanck.”

The voice was not that of an Arrancar, or even human. Cold. Deep, Emotionless. Robotic.

“Designation: Former Tres Espada,” the mysterious stranger continued, “Sex: Female. Zanpakuto: Gamuza. Release command: Praise. Status: Current co-ruler of Hueco Mundo, and ally of the Soul Society and Shinigami.”

“You seem to know quite a bit about me,” Nel replied, “Am I supposed to be impressed?”

It stepped out of the shadows, enveloped by its Quincy cloak. Nel could not see anything of its body aside from its helmeted head, the hatchet shape and bar-like slits reminding her of the mask of Grimmjow’s deceased Fraccion Shawlong Kufang. It’s one red optic was focused on her, unmoving. How this thing could even be considered a Quincy, Nel did not know. But then again, their ranks had consisted of a sentient arm and a brain in a jar. A robot didn’t seem too farfetched in comparison.

“No,” the robot said, “You should be cautious when engaging someone who is knowledgeable on all of your abilities. It is only logical.”

“Who said I wasn’t being cautious?”

“If you were truly cautious, you would have demanded my designation. I shall recognize your fault and give it to you myself.” The robot drew back its cloak, revealing its armored body. Purple wiring twisted into a human shape was fit into place by slate grey plates around its chest and waist. “I am BG9. Designation: Sternritter K, _The Knowledge_.”

_Sternritter._

Nel had not fought one of them herself back in the war, but seeing that the one named Askin had nearly killed both Kisuke and Grimmjow with his abilities, there was no reason to hold back. Strangely, Rudbornn and his troops had not moved from their spot at the base of the staircase. Not that it would matter. As kind-hearted as she was compared to Halibel and Grimmjow, Nel would still wipe them all out to protect Las Noches.

She drew Gamuza, and held it before her horizontally, one palm pressed to the blade.

_“Praise, Gamuza!”_

She could feel her reiatsu growing as her transformation started, glaring at BG9 while her Zanpakuto flashed a bright pink. The Quincy was not even moving. He seemed calm.

Like he _wanted_ her to do this.

BG9’s eye suddenly began to glow a bright red, the shape of a Quincy cross forming in the light. Instantly, her growing reiatsu ceased. The pink energy from her blade had frozen in place, before instantly shooting towards BG9’s glowing optic. Nel stared in shock as she watched the spiritual pressure she had gathered being ripped from her, the Quincy siphoning every last drop. Once every last visible trace had vanished into BG9’s eye, she looked at her Zanpakuto.

Something was very wrong.

She could feel nothing from it. No trace of herself, no power. Nel raised it before her again, and chanted the release command.

Nothing.

 _“Wh-What?”_ she stammered, “I don’t understand!”

“Did you still not comprehend my previous statement, Nelliel?” BG9 said as approached her, as the wires on its arm began to form around his hand into a blade. She caught a glance of the hilt.

It was identical to Gamuza’s.

“I advised you to be very, _very cautious.”_

* * *

**Translations:**

_Sierra, "Saw"_

_Giro de Corte, "Cutting Twist"_


	3. Knowledge is Power

The yellow Cero tore through the forest in pursuit of its target, missing them by just a hair. Averstruz’s nimbleness was enhanced by his Resurrección, but his feet could only get him so far in combat against Halibel. The Espada was closing in on him fast, always one step ahead of him with his Sonido. Once she had changed forms, the end of the fight was inevitable.

_“Giro de Corte!”_ Averstruz launched his attack out of desperation, hoping he could knock a tree down to slow Halibel as he made an escape. Rudbornn said he would send him back up in due time! _“Where are those damn Calaveras?!”_

He made a sharp right, weaving between two trees and came face to face with Tia. He tried skidding to a halt and running back the way he came, but Halibel was done chasing him.

“No more running!” she ordered. With one swing of her giant blade, Avertruz’s left leg was severed at the knee. The bird fumbled and rolled, his momentum preventing his stop. He collided with a fallen trunk, his spine slamming into it full force.

A portion of the Arrancar’s mask fell off his face as he hacked up a mouthful of blood. He tried to reach for the broken fragment, but Halibel appeared beside him and stabbed through his wing. Pinned down and flightless, he was beaten. The Tres Bestias soon joined them, back in their base forms.

_“Mercy!”_ Averstruz pleaded Halibel, “Please! I beg of you! I’ll tell you anything! Just don’t kill me!”

“So you’re even more of a coward than I thought,” Tia sneered, “No wonder you’d work for the Quincies.”

“So how long we gonna keep this punk alive?” Apacci asked, kicking sand in Avertruz’s face.

“Once we get the answers we need.”

“Man, you women are too soft!”

Halibel and the Tres Bestias turned to see Grimmjow walking up to them, hands in his pockets. The panther glared at a frightened Averstruz, then at Tia. “I run out all this way and you’re here having a chat with your enemy. Why ain’t he dead yet?”

“He’s a follower of the Wandenreich, Grimmjow,” Halibel said, “And we need to find out why. If you would stop thinking about killing for once you’d notice the Quincy cross on his cloak.”

Grimmjow took a look at the symbol, seemingly disinterested. “So what? We beat those bastards years ago. I killed one of ‘em, too… Something you sure as hell couldn’t do.”

If Tia wasn’t pissed before, she was all kinds of it now.

“Is that all you give a damn about?” Tia snarled, removing her blade from the traitor’s wings as her reiatsu flared up. Mila and Sung-Sun took a step back, while Apacci grinned devilishly. This was going to be fun. “There are much more important things to worry about than being the strongest!”

“Really? Coming from the one who makes me fight her to gain a seat beside her and her gal pal on the throne!”

“That has nothing to do with me being stronger than you, you fool!” Tia shouted, “You’re too much of a wreck loose to have any sort of leadership position! All you want to do is fight and kill! You jump into everything like a wild animal!”

“Newsflash, shit for brains!” the Sexta roared, clenching his fists, “I am an animal! We both are! So get off your high horse and stop acting like you’re any better than I am!”

“I learned to control myself! That’s the one thing you lack! It doesn’t matter if you’re stronger than me, because you damn might well be! I’d be happy to give you more respect the day you start acting and fighting like a ruler should!”

“Oh, so if I kiss up and act like a good boy then I get my reward! Bull crap! I should kick your ass right now!” Grimmjow placed his hand on Pantera’s hilt, ready to go at the shark.

“I wish I had snacks for this,” Apacci leaned in and whispered to Mila.

Tia pinched her brow, shaking her head. “You are truly helpless, Grimmjow.”

“Then add me to the list of all the other things you failed at. If I’m gonna even consider changing myself it damn well wouldn’t be because of you.”

That hurt.

She didn’t show it, but it did. It was instances like this that Tia wished Nel was here to handle.

“I’m not fighting you,” Tia said, getting the last word in before turning back to Averstruz, “I have to deal with this scum. Now, where were we?”

In that moment, all the Arrancar present felt Nel’s reiatsu rise in the distance. And as quick as they had detected it, it vanished. Something was happening back at Las Noches.

“The hell was that about?” Grimmjow said, looking into the distance, “Nel get bored or something?”

“I don’t like it,” Tia replied, putting her anger with the other Espada aside. There were more important matters at hand. “Mila, Apacci, Sung-Sun. Stay here with the prisoner. I’m going to find out what that was about. Don’t kill him unless he forces you to.”

The three Fracciones nodded in compliance. “Yes, Miss Halibel!”

Halibel walked right past Grimmjow, not even looking at him. “If you really want a fight, you might get one if you come with me.”

“Are you gonna chew me out if I don’t behave?” he spat back.

She ignored that, and ran off.

“Hey!” Grimmjow exclaimed, chasing after her, “That meant yes, you idiot!”

The Tres Bestias watched the Espadas sprint across the sand before vanishing with Sonido. Mila sat down on the log above Averstruz and stabbed his wing with her sword, pinning him down as Halibel did. Sung-Sun began patching up his leg to prevent him from dying of blood loss. She produced a small vial from her dress and poured it over the severed leg. Upon contact the liquid began to sizzle and bubble.

“Ouch!” Averstruz cried out, “What the hell is that stuff?!”

“Snake venom,” Sung-Sun replied, “Stops the bleeding. Poisons you. You’ll be dead in 24 hours.”

“Wh-what?!”

“Ah, don’t worry!” Mila laughed, slapping the prisoner upside the head, “She’s kidding!”

“Really?”

“Yeah…It’s actually only eight hours.”

* * *

“I would like to ask you a second question, Espada,” BG9 asked. Nel was still in disbelief with her Resurrección – her actual self – was just ripped from her. Hollow power was toxic to a Quincy, but the one before her was seemingly not affected at all by it! “Did the Soul Society inform you of our ability to steal Bankai?”

They had, but Nel said nothing. She learned that during the first invasion numerous Sternritter had used special medallions to trap Bankai abilities in, but Urahara and Kurotsuchi had deduced a counter to their theft.

“It was a rushed procedure in creating the medallions,” BG9 continued, “That lead to several fatal and exploitable errors. A previous version of myself fell victim to it: poisoning from Hollow reiatsu. It lowered my processing time and allowed my defeat. However, this past decade has given me time for… modification.”

_‘First version?_ ’ Nel was confused, but had to be on guard. Rudbornn and his Calaveras were slowly advancing up the staircase towards her, having waited for BG9 to steal her power before attacking. This did not stop the Quincy from continuing his speech.

“Lord Ywhach had tasked me in creating the medallions through my Schrift of The Knowledge, placing an ounce of my power within each one to assist in the capture of Bankai. Through my own optics, I can understand and gain knowledge of any ability I see before me and claim it as my own. Therefore, once a medallion could be exposed to a released Bankai, it could capture it. Until now I could not steal the powers of Resurrección, but with the assistance of my comrade Rudbornn, that is no longer an issue.”

Suddenly, BG9 rushed her. She raised her sword to meet his, his mechanical strength equal to hers. She dodged an incoming strike from behind with Sonido, a Calavera attempting to get a sneak attack in.

“That is impossible!” Nel shouted. She fired a small Cero at the staircase, sending a group of advancing troops flying back down below. “A Quincy like yourself should die from a Hollow’s power within you.”

“Correct, Nelliel. But you are wrong in one assumption… This new version of myself was not born as a Quincy, but as a Hollow.”

“What?”

BG9 opened up his chest plate, and to Nel’s shock saw a black hole within the center of his inner mechanisms.

“The power of The Knowledge was never tied to a singular occupant body. All things are capable of learning knowledge. Adapting. Understanding. It is a power unlike no others, for one does not have to be a Quincy to wield it. Hence the reason my body is mechanic. A robot is not alive on its own. It does not have spiritual power inherently. It is simply a vessel for the power to utilize. The fatal complication of my last body was its composition: it was made purely of Quincy based reiatsu, hence it could be infected by Hollow power and prevent The Knowledge from being able to perform properly.”

“So I’m speaking to a power itself right now? You’re not even alive?”

“It depends on your point of view. Do you view yourself as alive? With this cybernetic body created from Hollow reiatsu, and the sentience of The Knowledge I feel quite alive. And that is all because of Rudbornn.”

The leader of the Calaveras appeared beside Nel, and she narrowly dodged his sideways slash. She glared at the traitor before running to strike. “Why, Rudbornn? You even helped us repel the few Sternritters we encountered just after the war ended! Were you working for them, too?”

Rudbornn shook his head, meeting blades with her. “A ruse, Nelliel. I had to appear loyal to you for this to work. Not that those women were involved with our plans, anyways. This has been in motion _long_ before the war ended, before Ywhach’s demise.”

A tentacle wrapped around Nel’s ankle, and threw her away from Rudbornn into the wall behind her. BG9 walked over and stood beside the conspirator.

“I served the Espada for so long,” Rudbornn continued, “And yet with my _Arbol_ , my power to create life itself, I was never considered to join your ranks even after Aizen was defeated. The moment Aaroniero was killed, I should have become the Novena Espada. But once that idiot Yammy saw me as nothing more than collateral damage in his final rampage, I was nothing more than an afterthought who could make fodder for Halibel’s training sessions!”

Nel stood to her feet, having to slice away another one of BG9’s tentacles that stabbed at her stomach. Rudbornn used the opportunity to get in close, and nearly sliced the Espada across the chest.

“So its jealousy, then!” Nel shouted at the bull, jumping backwards to dodge, “Isn’t that something petty to use as an excuse to turn against your brothers and sisters?”

“What you see as petty I see as an injustice. I deserved so much more, and once the Wandenreich arrived in Hueco Mundo for the first time I made sure Lord Ywhach felt right at home. I struck a deal with him: if he spared my life, I would grant him the easiest path to Halibel. He was very pleased with my willingness to cooperate. And through him, I met BG9.”

“I approached Rudbornn shortly after,” BG9 followed, “His situation made him an optimal candidate for partnership in my machinations. I had done numerous calculations for the outcome of the war, and found there was a less than .0000018542% of Ywhach being defeated alongside myself, among many other equations. Thus, I had to make preparations for these unlikely but still slightly possible outcomes. Rudbornn agreed to assist me, and led me to the remnants of Szayelaporro Grantz’s laboratory where I could conduct my actions. Using the bodies of resistant Hollows Ywhach had slaughtered, their bodies were broken down and melded into my current vessel. Before the invasion of the Soul Society, I copied The Knowledge into the developing vessel and connected it to Grantz’s super computer, where I absorbed all the information he had saved within.”

That put Nel on alert. Grantz had kept many secrets from the other Espada, even from Lord Aizen. If BG9 really had access to everything the mad scientist had known, this entire situation could become much worse.

Six tentacles emerged from BG9's back, their tips concentrated into a small space above his head. A green sphere of concentrated reishi began to swell in the center, expanding at a rapid pace. Unable to tell if the robot was using Heilig Pfiel or a Cero, Nel decided not to absorb it with Cero Doble and dodged the incoming blast. She jumped upwards, but did not realize it hadn't just fired once: it was following her, a steady beam being projected from the core above BG9. It suddenly increased in speed, and caught her from below. The explosion knocked her back into the wall behind her, but she landed on her feet. She clutched her stomach in pain, but there was little time to recover.

Rudbornn stood aside as more of his soldiers engaged Nel, keeping her busy as he revealed more of the truth to her. “It took up until now for BG9’s body to be at optimal strength to be able to handle the power needed to steal Resurrección. Additionally, the power of The Knowledge still gives him the ability to manipulate reishi in the same manner as a Quincy. Being a hybrid Hollow, the procedure did leave him without the power to perform his own Resurrección. But that won’t be necessary for our plans.”

A Hollow with the power of a Quincy. It wasn’t too crazy of an idea; Nel had learned Ichigo was a mix of both of those things plus Shinigami, plus the artificial soul Hikone Ubuginu had the powers of both alongside Shinigami and Fullbring abilities. Still, there was something more disturbing about a cold, calculating machine wielding such deadly potential.

“And what exactly is your plan?” Nel demanded, surrounded by Calaveras. The theft of her powers was beginning to affect her, feeling much more worn down that she usually would be after this much combat.

“I think we’ve told you enough, for now,” Rudbornn sheathed his blade, and raised one finger towards her. Bone white reiatsu began to gather around it and swell. Nel could feel his power, and knew what was coming.

When had Rudbornn learned to generate a Gran Rey Cero?!

Nel tried to run, but BG9 had used the Calaveras around her as a distraction to wrap his tentacles around both of her feet. Before she had a chance to cut them away, Rudbornn appeared right in front of her and fired at point blank range.

The explosion rattled the room, blowing a whole in the wall behind Nel. From the dust cloud, her body was tossed out into the base of the throne room. Nel was aching, pushing herself up with Gamuza off the floor to her feet. The moment she was upright, she felt her legs go weak and collapsed back down. Why was she losing this much energy so fast?

Urahara’s bracelet.

She looked at her wrist, and could see a large crack forming down the center of the device. The Gran Rey Cero must had damaged it! She was losing her spiritual pressure needed to stay in her adult form!

“Oh no,” she breathed, huffing as she watched the crack continue to spread before-

_*POOF!*_

A large pink cloud popped as Nel changed form. The infant Espada sat there, confused, still gripping Gamuza as BG9 and Rudbornn approached her.

“Scary monsters…” little Nel sobbed, curling up into a ball, “Stay away!”

“How unfortunate for you,” BG9 said, using one of his tentacles to pick Nel up and hand her over to Rudbornn, “But worry not. This is an optimal situation for us.”

“Halibel should be on her way soon,” Rudbornn said, “I will send a squad of troops to greet her.”

“Yes. She will defeat them handily, gaining a sense of hope and a chance at ultimate victory. On the contrary, it will be the last victory she ever has.”


	4. Overtrow X Resist

It took Halibel and Grimmjow no more than ten minutes to reach the outer walls of Las Noches. The two Espada said not a word to each other the entire way there. Animosity between the two had been quite high for the past decade; Tia had extended a branch of peace towards Jaegerjaquez multiple times in the first few years, but the Sexta was too prideful and standoffish to accept a peaceful invite. That was when the duels started, and why they continued.

They had seen the patrol squad of Calaveras standing outside the front gates from a long distance away, at least three dozen waiting at attention. Taking cover behind a large rock formation, Tia devised a plan in her head to deal with the revolt. Rudbornn had certainly betrayed them, but who else may have? What Quincy were they working along with?

Certainly not Bambietta Basterbine and her little clique; Halibel had been informed by the Soul Society that they had fallen back into lives as ordinary humans. They were closely observed regardless, but they never caused any trouble at all. The only other one she knew of was NaNaNa Najahkoop, but he was an undead servant of Kurotsuchi. There was no way in hell he could be behind this. He was practically a slave.

“Well?” Grimmjow spoke up, “What’s your amazing plan?”

“I can’t sense Nel’s reiatsu,” Tia replied, “I think she may have been defeated.”

“Hmph. That’s her problem.”

“She’s why we’re here in the first place, you fool. We have to rescue her and find out who our enemy is.”

“Doesn’t matter who they are,” the Sexta grinned, “Not one of them can possibly stop me. You can rescue your girlfriend and leave all of them to me.”

“…I should have left you behind.”

Disgusted with the panther, Tia peered around the rock again, thinking of the direction to attack the Calaveras from. Above? Run straight at them? Fire from a-

“Wait a minute,” she said more to herself than her company, “Is that Pesche and Dondochakka?”

Sure enough, the two energetic Fracciones were walking right up to the squad of troops. She could see Pesche shaking a fist at them, his bigger friend jumping up and down in anger. Hoping to see them die, Grimmjow took a look himself.

“The hell are those idiots doing?”

“They probably felt Nel’s reiatsu drop too. They are very close to her, and are likely worried.”

They watched as Pesche kicked sand at the soldier right in front of him, before spraying him in the face with a large amount of his Infinite Slick. The two began to dance in celebration of their rebelliousness, but froze in place as all the Calaveras drew their blades.

“Well then,” Halibel smirked, watching as Pesche and Dondochakka started sprinting away, the entire horde of troops running after them, “Those two just saved us some time.”

“Good. They’ll die and won’t ever bother me again.”

“Doubtful. They might not be very bright, but they are resourceful.”

“Just got to go and kill my dreams, don’t you?”

With the coast clear, Halibel and Grimmjow made a dash towards the gate. The two were inside in minutes, Halibel taking one look over her shoulder as she watched Nel’s friends turn to do combat with the enemy. Pesche jumped on top of Dondochakka’s back, both of them creating a Cero and merging them together. Its destructive power blew right through the center of the Exequitas forces, sending them on the retreat. The two started dancing again as they now became the hunters, swinging their Zanpakutos in the air and shouting like maniacs.

If only the Tres Bestias could get along like those two did.

* * *

The hallways within the castle were emptier than usual. There were usually at least a few Arrancars loitering about, but Tia and Grimmjow could not sense a single one. None of the Calaveras were on guard, either. They stood in front of the massive door leading to the throne room, sensing two massive spiritual pressures within.

“The enemy knew we would be coming,” Halibel said, “They are all congregated in here.”

“Good,” Grimmjow cracked his knuckles, “Won’t have to hunt them down then.”

He started to walk forward, but was stopped by Halibel’s blade. She gave him a stern look. “If anything goes wrong, if anything happens to me, you get Nel out of there no matter what. Go back to the Tres Bestias. You’ll be in charge. Make whatever decisions you feel are right.”

“Stop being dramatic. We’ll kick their asses like usual. They can’t beat us. We survived longer than the other Espada for a reason.”

“…Heh.”

“What’s so funny?”

“That’s the closest thing to a compliment I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth.”

Grimmjow kept his eyes on the door. “Only stating the facts. Now let’s kill these bastards.”

With a solid kick, the Sexta opened up the doors, knocking one off of its hinges. It hit the floor with an enormous thud, crushing a group of Calaveras that had been lying in wait to ambush the Espada. Tia and Grimmjow strode into the room, taking in their surroundings. At least a hundred Calaveras were lined up against the walls, with a single row standing guard at the base of the staircase. Tia’s eyes naturally followed up to the peak of the room, where Rudbornn and a helmeted figure she did not recognize stood.

“Welcome,” BG9 announced, holding one hand out of his cloak in a greeting gesture, “Designations: Tia Halibel and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Tres and Sexta Espadas, respectively. I have been anticipating your arrival. I am BG9. Designation: Sternritter-

A small cero flew right at the robot’s head. One of his tentacles quickly emerged to intercept it. BG9 gazed down at Grimmjow, who had already drawn his sword.

“I didn’t come here to talk, Quincy scum,” the panther grinned, “I came to beat your ass down.”

“Predictable,” BG9 stated, unfazed by the threat, “The _daten_ collected on you was very accurate. Your impulsiveness and enjoyment of combat is as expected.”

Halibel brushed past Grimmjow, pointing her giant weapon at BG9 and Rudbornn. “Where is Nel?”

“That is one of your two questions I permit you to ask,” BG9 declared, “There is little time in my plans to adjust for more.”

The robot opened up his cloak, a mass of tentacles unraveling within to show the small infant Nel within. He pulled the child out with one appendage, handing over to Rudbornn.

_“Miss Hollybelle!”_ Nel screamed out the moment she saw her friend, _“Help me! Pwease!”_

“Quiet, you!” Rudbornn said angrily, bringing his fist down on her mask to knock her out.

That was a mistake.

Suddenly, an enraged Tia was standing between the two conspirators. She cut off BG9’s extended arm and blasted him with a scalding hot stream of water, sending the hybrid flying back. She spun around to attack Rudbornn, but he had used Sonido to reach the bottom of the stairs before she could get him.

“Traitor!” Tia roared at the bull, “You’ll die for that!”

“He’ll be dead, alright!” Grimmjow shouted, jumping into the fray and firing a large Cero at the many Calaveras. The explosion blinded Rudbornn, but he still managed to lift Arbol in time to stop Grimmjow from cutting his head off.

“If you fight me so recklessly,” Rudbornn said to the Espada, “You’ll certainly kill Nelliel.”

“She’s tough,” Grimmjow gave him a violent grin as he gained leverage on the bull, “She’ll be just fine!”

Halibel watched the two trade sword strikes with one another, Grimmjow easily dispatching any Calavera that tried to sneak attack him. Hearing the sound of metal, she quickly turned and fired another blast of _La Gota_ at a recovered BG9. The robot dodged with Hirenkyaku, then closed in on the Espada with Gamuza in hand. Tia recognized it as Nel’s sword as she blocked his strike, and glared at him.

“How do you have her Zanpakuto?”

“That is your final question,” BG9 answered, creating another sword from reishi to act as his other arm, “It was not the most optimal one to ask.”

Halibel swiped Gamuza away to block his bladed arm. She kicked off his body into a backflip, firing a third La Gota upon landing on one knee. The robot was slightly affected by the scalding water, his metal vessel now steaming and warped on his right leg.

“Your techniques are impressive,” BG9 said, forming his other arm into a large mini gun from reishi, “But they will be inefficient in defeating me.”

Rapid fire quickly rained upon Tia, the Espada using Sonido at her fastest speed to dodge the thousands of reishi bullets. She had never encountered this exact sort of weapon before, but it reminded her of Starrk. She managed to get herself behind the robot, and fired a thin rush of water from the tip of Tiburon. The hybrid barely evaded it, puncturing a large hole through its lower abdomen instead of through his chest. BG9 noted the power behind her small attack seeing as the water had also left a hole in the far wall of the room.

“So my _daten_ was correct,” BG9 stated, his the hole in him healing from high-speed regeneration, “You can minimize the liquid volume of your _Cascada_ into a smaller area to increase the speed and impact strength of your attack. I am surprised you did not create a multiple blast technique to strike me.”

Tia was surprised the robot knew this. She had only recently mastered her ability to change the shape of _Cascada_ into different variations. Aside from that, the only ones who had seen her train were Nel and the one who supplied her with soldiers to fight.

“Rudbornn…” she muttered. The bull had been watching her and Nel train to inform BG9 of their strategies! He must had been using a recording device to transfer them to the machine or something similar.

The mini-gun dissipated from BG9’s arm, the robot now only wielding Gamuza. “However, I have calculated I only have a 4.876549% chance of defeating you in my current state. I recognize your power and will commend you once more, Espada. But I must end our conflict in haste.”

“That’s enough with the numbers,” Tia replied, raising Tiburon and readying a Gran Rey Cero, “This ends now-

She froze up as BG9 raised the Zanpakuto horizontal to himself, his tentacle forming into a palm to press against its blade.

Tia couldn’t believe what she was seeing as the robot chanted the release command.

_“Praise, Gamuza.”_

His singular eye began to glow a bright pink as a mass of tentacles started rapidly shifting around his lower body. He was pushed upwards as four legs and a horse-like body formed below him, a single tentacle acting as his tail. Gamuza had formed into a lance, taking over BG9’s entire left arm.

“That’s… impossible!” Tia stepped back in disbelief. How could a Quincy use Resurrección?! _“How did you do this?!”_

“Unfortunately,” BG9 said, raising his left arm, “You are out of questions to ask. _Lanzador Verde. ”_

The robot’s entire arm detached as Gamuza was sent hurtling at Halibel, spinning like a drill. She fired her Gran Rey Cero to block the lance, but it was at too close range. The lance cut right through the blast and broke through the top half of her giant sword and exploded as it hit the opposite wall of the throne room. Huge chunks of debris was thrown down to the floor, squashing many Calaveras who were too slow to dodge. The duel between Grimmjow and Rudbornn was also disrupted, and gave the Sexta a moment to see BG9’s stolen form.

“The hell?” Grimmjow cursed, “He looks like Nel!”

The crashing stones were loud enough to wake Nel up. She slowly opened her eyes, and screamed when she realized she was still in Rudbornn’s grip. “Let go of Nel, monster!”

With all her might, she bit down on her captor’s arm. For a little kid, her chomping power was extremely strong.

“Argh!” the bull shouted in pain, dropping Nel. The child was swiftly picked up by Grimmjow, who held her away from his body with one hand.

“Thank you, kitty cat!” Nel grinned, “Nel likes you lots!”

“Whatever.”

* * *

Tia’s mind was racing, trying to make sense of this. The basic laws of Quincies she had understood had just been shattered along with her weapon. This being was not completely one race if he could use Hollow powers. But how had he gained Nelliel’s powers in the first place?

Her ears began ringing. She could feel herself begin to sweat.

No.

No, not now.

She clenched her shaking fist, the same feeling that came when she awoke at night after dreams of her inability to defeat Ywhach haunted her. The dreams of Aizen’s betrayal. The dream of… of something she didn’t recognize.

The crying. Screaming.

That was the dream that hurt her the most.

She could hear BG9 speaking to her, but his voice was distant, muffled. She shook her head, her vision ceasing to blur as the robot’s eye began to glow a bright red.

Oh no.

Realizing what his ability was capable of, Halibel’s mind raced to two things.

Grimmjow. Nel.

_Save them._

* * *

“I must thank you for standing still,” BG9 said, the Knowledge prepared to activate once more, “That makes the process much easier.”

_“Grimmjow!”_ Tia screamed out, _“Don’t perform Resurrección! He can-_

Tia was cut off as she felt a sudden drop in her reiatsu, her yellow-aura power surging towards the robot. She looked at what remained of her weapon as it began to fall apart into reishi, her bone armor joining it as it assimilated into BG9. Back in her black bodysuit, she crumbled to her knees as Tiburon hit the floor with a clang. Powerless. Empty.

“Impressive,” BG9 stated as he absorbed the last bits of Halibel’s power, “I was aware this vessel has considerably greater strength than my previous one so it contain knowledge of multiple Resurrección, but to do so without a lag in processing time is considerably surprising. Being composed of multiple Arrancar remains must be a significant part of the equation. _.”_

Down below, Grimmjow was incredibly confused. What the hell was going on? What had that freak done to Tia? “You gotta be kidding me…!”

“You’re next,” Rudbornn said, as all of the remaining Calaveras formed behind him, “You’ll give your power to BG9, then you will die.”

If he was understanding things right, that robot thing could steal his greatest ability. And with how many Calaveras were left to fight against – not to mention the BG9 and Rudbornn himself – Grimmjow could not defeat them all without releasing.

“Run, Grimmjow!”

The Sexta looked up at Halibel, who was staggering to her feet, sword in hand. She was at an immense disadvantage, but her resilience wouldn’t let her go down so easily. “Get out of here! Keep Nel safe!”

For a moment, Grimmjow thought about defying her. The last thing he wanted to do was take any orders from her.

Dammit, why did she have to be right?

Grimmjow met her eyes and, with a single nod of understanding, tucked Nel to his chest and vanished with Sonido. Rudbornn raised his sword in the direction of the open door, all of the Calaveras running in pursuit of the Espada. “Find them! Bring him and the child back to me!”

Tia shut her eyes tight, sighing heavily as she gripped Tiburon even tighter. BG9 stood before her, a dozen tentacles emerging from his equine body, ready to stab at her.

“A foolish statement,” BG9 said, “Your resolve is admirable but misguided. You are no longer necessary to our plans, Tia Halibel. You must now perish.”

She couldn’t fight back and survive, not in her current state. Retreating was the only option.

There was only one place in mind: the place Nel told her about. She didn’t like going to outsiders for help, but Nel trusted him.

And that was good enough reason for Tia to trust them.

“If I have to die to protect them,” Tia replied, sheathing her sword, “Then so be it… _But not today.”_

With a click flick of her wrist, a black tear formed in the space beside Tia. A Garganta just large enough for her to fit into quickly tore open, and she fell into the rift.

Not fast enough.

_*SHUNK!*_

Bleeding from the mouth, Tia looked down where the tentacle had punctured straight through the center of her chest. She fumbled into the Garganta as the portal closed shut and severed BG9’s attachment to her. She cried out in intense pain as the tentacle thrashed abut wildly before going completely limp, its mental connection to its owner cut off. She used what little strength she had left to create a floor of reishi below her, or else fall into the endless black void.

There was no time to waste. She could feel herself getting light headed, internal wounds getting worse by the second. She wobbled ahead, gripping her chest as she traveled through the Garganta. Her platforms were weak and nearly unstable as she continued on.

* * *

BG9 stood by as the Garganta sealed shut. There was no need to pursue the Espada; even if it was necessary to the plan he could not open one of the portals on his own. One of the trade-offs of being a hybridized individual restricted him from accessing certain abilities such as Descorrer and the forms of Blut, but in time BG9 would gain the knowledge to utilize those powers after heavy modification.

Rudbornn appeared beside him and bowed his head. Exiting his stolen Resurrección form, BG9 addressed his accomplice. “The first phase of our plan was a complete success. We will recapture Nelliel soon enough, and then our secondary target will certainly come to Hueco Mundo.”

“Where did Halibel run off to?”

“Irrelevant. Her power is significantly decreased, and she is mortally wounded within the Garganta. Her ability to generate reishi platforms will falter, and she will soon fall into oblivion. The only current obstacles are Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and the Tres Bestias, but my calculations show their chances of victory are 0% without room for error. They are easy variables to eliminate. I will leave that task to you, Rudbornn.”

“Very well. And what shall you do in the meanwhile?”

“While I have completely absorbed the entirety of Szayelaporro Grantz’s, I must gain more _daten_ on our enemies the Espada had not documented. I will connect myself to the communication terminal that is wired to the Soul Society’s central information hub and attempt to access Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s recorded _daten_ on the captains of the Gotei 13.”

During the time BG9 was regenerating, the Exequias leader had told him of Hueco Mundo’s alliance with the Soul Society, and of how they were openly sharing information to create a stronger bond of trust. However, the person involved in managing the technological side of things was not to be trifled with. “I advise against that. Kurotsuchi is a madman; he probably has fatal viruses he has implemented as security measures.”

“A reasonable suggestion. My capabilities to evade his detection have a 24.8931% chance of success. The odds of me succeeding without detection are low, but if I am able to gain knowledge on just the singular Bankai we require, our chances of total victory are 100%.”

“It is the biggest risk we must take.”

“The greatest minds have always taken great risks to gain the proper knowledge to succeed and change how others see the world. I will ensure I can be included in their ranks.”

* * *

It felt like eternity before she reached her destination. Tia stopped before stepping into the World of the Living, her energy almost gone.

Her mind was a mess of emotions and pain, but she couldn’t fall victim to them, especially not now. Hueco Mundo was in danger.

Nel. The Tres Bestias. Even Grimmjow.

She couldn’t lose them.

But how could she save them, if she couldn’t save herself?

Too weak to stand anymore, Tia’s fell forward through the portal. Her face hit cold, hard pavement as she entered the other dimension, a steady stream of rain falling from the sky above. The Garganta closed behind her, leaving her prone on the sidewalk. She lay there, dying, breathing slower and slower by the second.

She could hear footsteps coming her way. Someone was here.

Moaning weakly, she turned her head and saw a pair of feet in clogs. Halibel tried to look up at the stranger, but her eyes fell shut as she finally passed out. The stranger knelt beside her, stroking his chin in deep thought.

“Well,” Kisuke Urahara mused, “This is quite unexpected.”


	5. Unlikely Allies

_Memory._

_“…not waking up…”_

_Hazy, a cloudy fog. Voices. Sounds._

_Pain._

_Crying._

_“She going into…”_

_“…take… away from here…”_

_No._

_No, not again._

_“PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME!”_

* * *

Jolting awake with a sharp gasp, Tia opened her eyes and found herself in an unfamiliar place. Her head was aching, sunlight sneaking through the blinds of a nearby window not doing much to help her tired eyes. The ceiling above her was bare and white, aside from a small poster of a cartoon feline hanging from a branch with the words “Hang in There!” printed in bold lettering below it.

Humans and their odd sense of humor.

Remembering the fatal wound she had received, her hand went to her chest to check for damage. The tentacle that had pierced her was gone, with no trace of a scar at all. Whomever had healed her must have an extraordinary ability for it.

Tia sat up in the hospital bed slowly to not strain herself. Looking over herself, she saw she was in human clothing: a white tank top and blue jeans. She was occupying an empty physical body, a Gigai. Her rescuer must had transferred her into one somehow. If her coordinates were correct, she had landed outside the shop of Kisuke Urahara. There was not a being in this world who could outsmart that man, so of course he had a way to quickly prepare a spare Gigai on such short notice.

She could hear chirping sounds right out her window, the leaves of trees rustling in the wind adding to the peaceful atmosphere. Nel had visited the World of the Living a few times to see Urahara and her other allies, and always tried to get her to go along. To show her the side of the world she had missed when she waged war here alongside Aizen.

Right now, Tia wished she had said yes.

Had Grimmjow gotten Nel to safety? Had BG9 captured them? Too many possibilities, none of them good.

“You’re really pretty.”

The sudden young voice shocked Tia; she could have sworn she was alone. Looking beside her, she met eyes with a small boy, no more than seven years old by human standards. His eyes were big and orange, matching his messy hair that looked oddly familiar to the Espada.

Children were one of the few beings that Tia felt like a different being around, and in an oddly pleasing way. She had a special connection with the juvenile Picaro Arrancar group in Hueco Mundo, often bringing them food and spending time with them to ensure their safety. Her own Tres Bestias felt like rebellious offspring at times; one of the reasons she felt a certain responsibility to watch over them like her own.

This boy was no different. Youthful and innocent. Probably a trouble maker though, like all kids. Not wanting to upset him by letting her worries be verbal, she gave him a small smile. “…Thank you. Where exactly am I, little one?”

“You’re at my house!” he replied with a big grin, “My dad’s friend Mr. Urahara brought you here real late last night. I wanted to see you, but my mom told me to go back to bed.”

“Who are your parents, exactly?”

“Kazui!” a woman’s familiar voice called out, “Where are you?”

The boy’s mother walked into the room, her long orange hair tied into a ponytail. She was wearing an apron splattered with red sauce, and still held a stirring stick in her hand. Tia and her met eyes, and the Espada instantly recognized her.

“Oh! You’re finally awake!” Orihime Inoue smiled cheerfully, rushing over to the bed. She grabbed Tia by the hands, shaking them lightly. “I’m so glad you’re alright!”

“Inoue?” Halibel was both perplexed and shocked. She had not seen the girl since she had healed and brought her back from near death after the battle in Fake Karakura Town. Since then, she had always held much gratitude towards the girl for giving her another chance at life. “You’re the one who healed me?”

“Yup! You were hurt pretty bad, but nothing I couldn’t handle! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”

“Likewise,” Tia shifted her attention back to Kazui, who stood beside his mother, “And this must be your child, then.”

“Yes, this is my little Kazui,” Orihime gave her son a motherly glare, “The one I told not to come in this room and disturb our guest.”

The boy shook his head in denial. “I didn’t bug her mom, honest! The door just creaked open by itself and I was gonna close it and then I-

Orihime wagged a finger. “Uh-uh-uh, no excuses. Now go wash your hands, your lunch is ready.”

With a huff, the boy ran off to obey his mother’s wishes. Tia was now sitting on the side of the bed. “I never expected you to be the stern motherly type.”

“Having a rascal like him changes you, that’s for sure,” Inoue sat down beside her, and put a hand on the Espada’s shoulder, “I hate to bring it up with you just waking up and all, but what happened to you? What’s going on in Hueco Mundo?”

Sighing, Tia rested her head in her hand. “It is bad. Very bad. I don’t know how much time will be left before things spiral out of control. I don’t… _It worries me.”_

She stopped herself there. She wasn’t ready to admit that yet..

Inoue put her arm around Tia’s shoulder and pulled her in closer. “Everything will be alright, Halibel. We’ll figure this out. All of us.”

“All of us?”

“You didn’t think you were going to deal with this alone, did you?” Orihime said. Almost as if on cue, Tia could hear a door opening from somewhere in the house and multiple people coming inside.

“Hey, Orihime! We’re back! Where you at?”

Tia knew that voice in an instant.

The new arrivals soon walked into the room. Urahara was one of them, carrying a brown leather bag on his back; beside him was a dark-skinned woman with purple hair Tia had not met before. The last one, with his short orange hair, was the savior of the three worlds himself.

“Ichigo Kurosaki!”

Halibel had, surprisingly, never met Ichigo face to face before. He looked much older than when she had seen video footage of him in Hueco Mundo years ago. Kurosaki wasn’t just some punk teenager with a giant sword anymore.

“Yo,” Ichigo said with a nod, “So you’re the one Nel likes to talk about, huh? Tia Halibel?”

“Yes. That would be me.”

Kurosaki extended his hand for a handshake. “Well, a friend of Nel’s is a friend of ours. Unless you’re like Grimmjow, that is.”

“Thankfully not.”

Before Tia could accept his greeting, Urahara inserted himself between the two. “Hey now! You haven’t forgotten about yours truly have you? I’m the one who brought you here, after all.”

“So I’ve heard,” Tia replied, pushing the shop keep’s face back with a finger, “The Mr. Urahara Nel told me so much about. Why did you bring me here instead of your little shop?”

Urahara adjusted his striped hat to hang over his eyes. “I was going to house you at my place, but my lady friend over there was a bit jealous about having another woman sharing the same space with us,” he said, jerking a thumb back at the purple haired lady he had just pissed off. She slapped him across the back of the head in return.

“His _lady friend’s_ name is Yoruichi Shihouin,” the woman scolded Kisuke, introducing herself, “And the reason you are here certainly isn’t the one this knucklehead just told you.”

“With how bad your wound was this was the only place he knew could definitely keep you from dying on such short notice,” Ichigo said, Orihime now standing beside him, “He put you in that Gigai so you can fully recover fro the time being..”

“I am grateful to all of you,” Tia said, bowing her head, “I am in your debt.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ichigo assured, “How about we take some time to eat before we figure out how to go ahead with this? I could go for some food right now.”

* * *

Half an hour passed by, and Tia had joined the group in the Kurosaki household’s living room. She sat and listened to Ichigo and Orihime’s conversation while Urahara was busy fiddling with something from his bag in another room. The married couple were discussing Ichigo’s sisters, and how their trip out of town to see their father for the weekend with something called a Kon was supposed to give them some time for themselves. Apparently her sudden arrival in the World of the Living had disrupted their plans, and she felt some slight guilt. Yoruichi told her not to worry about it, as it meant she wouldn’t have to babysit Kazui and chase him around the town for hours on end.

Once Orihime sent Kazui to his room and everyone had gathered (aside from Urahara, still busy working), Tia explained to the group what had happened in Hueco Mundo in great detail. The betrayal of Rudbornn, BG9’s sudden appearance, the theft of her and Nel’s Resurrección. Ichigo especially was concerned about the sudden reappearance of a Sternritter. The powers of the robot Tia described to him were almost unbelievable, but Ichigo assured her nothing was truly unstoppable.

“Can’t say I’ve fought a robot before, though,” Ichigo said, taking a spoonful of beans into his mouth, “Feels like something from a sci-fi movie.”

Tia sat with arms folded, sighing. “I appreciate your help, but I do not need you to help me defeat him. I won’t contact the Soul Society either. BG9 invaded my home, not yours. I must be the one to put him down.”

“He sounds really powerful, Halibel,” Orihime chimed in with a worried look, “I don’t know if taking him on by yourself again is the best strategy.”

“I have my reasons, Inoue. If I must sacrifice myself in defending Hueco Mundo, then so be it. What else do I have to lose?”

“That’s dark,” Yoruichi replied with a mouthful of food, “Honorable but dark. Makes sense for an Espada like you to say. But you surely don’t want to die, right?”

Tia stayed quiet for just a bit too long. The silence said enough.

“Hey,” Ichigo said, “Nel is counting on you. So are those three other pals of yours with the big monster. Probably Grimmjow too, as much as he’d hate to admit it. Cut the sacrificial crap and stop putting yourself down.”

“…Did you know each of the Espada represent an aspect of death?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Just as I said it. It affects our personalities greatly. Grimmjow’s aspect is destruction, and Nelliel’s is lamentation. Ulquiorra’s was nihilism. I’m sure you were familiar with him to recognize that as true.”

Orihime fidgeted in her seat, and Ichigo put his hand on hers in comfort. It had been a while since their fights against Cifer, but it still affected the both of them deeply. “So yours is sacrifice, then?”

Halibel nodded. “Sacrifice is one of the few aspects with a sense of positivity to it. One can give their life for the sake of others, or have it taken to appease another. I feel compelled to put myself in the way of any who try to harm something I consider valuable or sentimental, just as Grimmjow feels compelled to destroy all who stand before him. This has happened multiple times, and I am lucky to have survived each time. It isn’t always out of free will, but nonetheless it is instinct. I know one day I won’t be so lucky. If this happens to be my time, then so be it.”

“Not much you can do against instinct,” Yoruichi said, “But at least you have the desire to protect your friends. Not many Hollows can say that about themselves.”

“They aren’t friends.”

“Sounds like they are to me, sister. What else would you call them?”

“I don’t know. I can’t describe it.”

“Whatever you say,” the cat lady took a sip from her beer can and smirked, “You Arrancar just like to be difficult.”

Ichigo shrugged. “If that’s how you want things to be, then fine. I’ll leave BG9 to you. But I’m going to help Nel. “

“Kurosaki, did I not just say I-

“I heard you, Halibel. And I respect your wishes. But Nel is my friend. You can have BG9 and I’ll help get Nel back to her adult form. You can’t do two things at once. Besides, I haven’t seem Grimmjow for a long time, either. Might as well drop in and kick his butt afterwards too, for fun.”

He was right. Giving in, Tia found pleasure in imagining Ichigo beat up the Sexta before changing the subject. “We still haven’t addressed the root of the problem yet. BG9 stole Nelliel and I’s Resurreccións. Without mine I am much too underpowered to stand a chance, even more so if he is capable of using two releases at once.”

“Not to mention the possibility he could take Ichigo’s Bankai,” Yoruichi added, “The Sternritter couldn’t do it before because it wasn’t complete. But now that his is, it might just work in BG9’s favor.”

Halibel remembered something that the robot had sad to her, specifically how he worded it. “Each time BG9 talked about knowing our powers, it always said it had learned about them beforehand. I think it may not be able to steal a Bankai or Resurrección if it does not know about its full capabilities prior, or if it is not in the process of being activated or already has been. Is there any way that it could possibly know about your Bankai’s power, Ichigo?”

“That’s hard to say,” Ichigo said, “After honing my Bankai in the Soul Society a few years back, I know Captain Kurotsuchi wanted to catalogue it in his _Kurotsuchi Compendium Collection_ , or whatever he called his data base. Unless BG9 can somehow successfully outsmart that crazy bastard and bypass his security measures I think we should be in the clear.”

“BG9 was hiding in the depths of Las Noches for years without anyone knowing. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it did find a way to beat Kurotsuchi.”

“This thing sure sounds scary,” Orihime commented, “I can’t believe it wasn’t this big of a problem during the war.”

“It must have a weak point,” Yoruichi said, “Everything does. Even Ywhach and Aizen weren’t invincible. We just have to figure out what it is.”

“And I will figure that out!”

Kisuke burst into the room, bag on his back and BG9’s severed tentacle in hand. He tossed it onto the coffee table, knocking over a few cups.

“Hey!” Ichigo snapped, “That was my soda you spilled!”

“And its loss will forever be remembered.”

“What were you doing with this?” Tia asked, pushing the techno-organic limb away.

“I took samples of it, and analyzed the composition. Roughly 70% Hollow with at least 47 differing identifiable strains of reiatsu and 30% Quincy from one identifiable source. That single source is identical to the data I extracted from the Quincy medallions from the war, so we finally have our culprit behind their creation. One heck of a hybrid being, if you ask me. The reishi is unusually unstable too; easily malleable. I made it transform into 7 different shapes with just one tiny injection of my new reishi enhancement serum. I see no reason to doubt BG9 can replicate any power stolen with his body.”

Great, Halibel thought. There was no limit to BG9’s potential, meaning he could possibly hold an indefinite amount of stolen powers at once. The odds were slowly increasing against them by the minute.

“Any weaknesses at all?” Yoruichi questioned.

“That is hard to determine from just one loose limb. I could cook up many possible counters, but these Sternritter are not easy to prepare for. One of them drove me to my very limit. Based on that last experience alone, I’d need to see him in action to be able to prepare any sort of definite counter. And even then, he could end up stealing another power on the whim to counter it. What we would need is a technique he somehow couldn’t copy, and I only know of one that would definitely work. But it’s an incredibly risky one.”

“What is it?” Halibel inquired.

Urahara gave her a stone-faced look, his demeanor switching on a dime. “It involves some old research of mine I honestly would rather not work with again. It will definitely be enough to let you defeat BG9. But… it could kill you as well, Miss Halibel. A very high chance of doing so, actually.”

Again, silence. When Kisuke spoke like this, he wasn’t kidding.

“I heard you speaking about your aspect of death from the other room, Miss Halibel. I know it is something you would be willing to undertake, but I refuse to do it unless I have more information on BG9 to be sure this will work. Right now, I hypothesize that there is a highly likely chance it will, but unless I know with 100% certainty it will, I will not risk killing you. Do you understand?”

Tia nodded. “I do. What do I need to do to have you proceed with it?”

“That’s the easy part. There are some lovely ladies living in Karakura we need to visit that knew BG9 who can tell us more about him.”

“Wait a minute. You’re not suggesting what I think you are, right?”

“The best way to learn about a Quincy,” Kisuke smirked, “Is to ask a Quincy. Wouldn’t you agree?”

* * *

“Ah, what a day.”

Hanging up his straw hat, Shunsui Kyoraku flopped back onto a large pile of bean bags and closed his eyes. It had been a long day consisting of a meeting with the heads of the Noble Houses, having to listen to the aristocrats bicker and banter about wanting more authority. Same old, same old. If there was one thing he and Old Man Yama (rest his soul) differed in, it was with how they acted during stuffy business meetings. It was a good thing he took Nanao with him; Kyorkau had gotten quite good at tipping his hat and taking quick power naps without anyone noticing, with his sweet Nanao transcribing the conversations for later. Why couldn’t Okikiba be as helpful as her instead of waking him up?

But now, that was the least of his worries. It was nearly 9 PM, and he wanted some sake.

Just as he reached for his cup and bottle, he heard arguing outside his door: What perfect timing.

“Head Captain!” shouted Mayuri Kurotsuchi, bursting into the room, “You must surely discipline Lieutenant Ise to not refuse a Captain entry into your quarters under emergency circumstances!”

“I’m sorry, Captian!” Nanao yelled right after, “I informed Captain Kurotsuchi it was your private time to not be disturbed, but he refused to listen to a Head Captain’s request!”

“My, girl!” Mayuri turned to the Lieutenant, “I don’t remember you being so brave as to defy a Captain like that!”

“I helped kill a God. You don’t scare me.”

“Well, I guess that makes us equals, then!”

“Hey now,” Kyoraku eased, trying to calm the two down, “It’s all right. I’m not mad. Just tired. Nanao, you’re dismissed. Go take some time off.”

The spectacled woman bowed. “Thank you, sir.”

Once his assistant was gone, Shunsui smiled at the scientist. “What’s gone wrong this time, Mayuri?”

The scientist handed him a tablet with hundreds of numbers filling its screen. “Do you see this? This is an outrage!”

“I see it,” Shunsui turned the device on its side and upside down, “But I don’t really know what I’m reading.”

“This is a database hacking, Head Captain. A form I have never, in my life, encountered before. It was injected into our shared systems with Hueco Mundo twenty minutes ago, and accessed my personal records.”

“So, what does it know? Your birthday?”

“That’s what worries me. I have a few ideas of where it tried to access, but it is impossible to trace exactly where it went. What I am showing you right now is just the data behind one attack. All of these numbers here show a path it traveled within my system to find what it was looking for. However, it did not attack just once. No, it attacked 191,263 individual times per second for a total of ten minutes. My security system is strong, but not strong enough for that. It even bypassed the automatic shutdown in case of a hacking and rebooted my systems.”

“That seems impossible if you ask me.”

“This proves otherwise. But the problem isn’t me being unable to trace it. I could surely do that with one hand tied behind my back. The issue is that it deleted it’s very self from existence. What is on that tablet is a screenshot of its actions. I cannot access any other evidence of it.”

“How can a virus do that, exactly?”

“The one who developed it was certainly not organic. At least, not completely. I could not think of any super computers in any world capable of such a fast paced attack, either. The circumstances behind this are an enigma.”

“So, what are you suggesting, Captain?”

“We need to send a team to Hueco Mundo to-

“Sorry,” Shunsui handed the tablet back, “But that’s something I can’t do.”

“What? With all due respect, someone in that world directly attacked a branch of the Gotei 13! It could be related to the Quincy resurgence. We must find out what they want of us!”

“I understand your frustration, Mayuri,” Kyoraku said, pouring himself some sake, “But Tia Halibel was stern in saying that they will take care of any threat in Hueco Mundo. As part of our truce, and on my word, I will allow them to deal with this how they see fit.”

Mayuri glared at the Head Captain. “If you are doing this solely to keep the peace, I understand. But this could be a very selfish, dangerous risk to take. We both know that Hueco Mundo does not have the same strength in forces like we have. It could end up like last time with another takeover.”

“I wouldn’t call it selfish, Mayuri. You have pride in yourself, right?”

He paused, waiting for Mayuri to respond. The scientist nodded slightly. “Your point?”

“If you were looking at Halibel’s eyes when she spoke to me, you’d see she has a great deal of it. And a lot of it was damaged. I won’t go into detail, but I can figure out what she is fighting for. I’m sure you can as well. I say it’s fair we give her this mountain to conquer. If worse comes to worse, and things really do get out of hand, I’ll take personal responsibility and fix it myself. How’s that sound?”

Mayuri groaned in defeat. “I disagree entirely, but I doubt I could convince you otherwise. So I concede.”

“Wonderful! Now, how about a drink? ”


	6. You Can (NOT) Understand

“Talk, asshole!”

The bruised Averstruz’s face hit the ground hard. His body aching from both the poison in his veins and the beating he was still currently recieving from Grimmjow, he had little strength left to pick himself up. The Espada had arrived back at the forest with Nel in tow and immediately ordered the Tres Bestias to, as politely as he could, ‘Move your stupid asses and run’. With the Exequias on the hunt for them, the captive Averstruz had no choice but to be dragged along with them. They still planned on interrogating him without Halibel there. The prisoner would have preferred it had been Tia asking the questions rather than Grimmjow.

Tia’s absence devastated the Tres Bestias. When they had finally gained distance from their hunters and found shelter in a rocky cave, Appaci was frantic. Never had a Fraccion dared walk up to an Espada before and grab them by the neck and threaten to kill them before. Luckily for Appacci, Mila Rose was brave enough to put herself between the two to stop her teammate from dying, Sung-Sun opting to hold onto the infant Nel for the time being. The defeated Espada had fallen asleep, her body working overtime to regain reiatsu.

Enraged by Apacci’s boldness, Grimmjow then proceeded to pummel their prisoner without remorse. The women intervening to say that he needed to be questioned did little to soften the kicks and punches.

“If _*cough*_ you would stop hitting me!” Averstruz rasped, dragging himself away with one arm, “I’d have a chance to speak!”

Grimmjow gripped hold of his collar and slammed him up against the wall. He glared at the Tres Bestias. “You have one minute to ask him shit before I get bored and go further.”

Sung-Sun knew he wasn’t lying, and wasted no time getting to what mattered most. “What is your plan for Hueco Mundo? What do the Quincy and Rudbornn want?”

The captive spit out a broken, bloody tooth. “With Hueco Mundo? Not a thing. It’s a stepping stone, just like last time. He sent me to the World of the Living to bait you out in searching for me as a distraction to take Las Noches. He can’t access the Soul Society’s systems any other way. BG9 wants something from the Soul Society, but I don’t know what.”

“Oh, come on!” Apacci said, “You’re working for this guy and don’t even know what his master plan is? I call bull.”

“Say what you want, woman! This was the only chance I had to be free!”

“Of what?” Sung-Sun pushed him on.

“Of the Espada!” Averstruz spat, glaring at Grimmjow, “Rudbornn came to me years ago and said if I went into hiding and helped him keep BG9 a secret he would guarantee your deaths! Ever since the Espada and Aizen were around I was forgotten! I was a natural-born Arrancar, unlike you science-experiments! I was the strongest in my territory, and then everything went to hell when you lot took over! Aizen saw no potential in me and dismissed me! My whole life was ruined!”

Mila Rose gave him a nasty look. “You think your life is the only hard one? We were just puppets to Aizen. We nearly died for him… And you’re mad that he didn’t think your strings weren’t good enough to pull?”

“My glory lies in the past, woman. As does everything else of mine. If I can’t bring justice to those who wronged me myself, I’ll follow whoever else can do so just to be happy for once. Your deaths will bring me joy.”

Without warning, Grimmjow started to laugh heartily. His grip loosened just slightly on Averstruz, and put the prisoner off-guard. “You hear this guy? Sob story of the century! Grow a spine, god-damn it”

“H-how dare you ridicule me! I demand respect!”

“No,” Grimmjow’s chuckling ceased, replaced with a cold glare, “You’re a coward. If you’re as strong as you think you are, you’d work to make yourself better instead of riding someone else’s ass. I can sense your reiatsu, and even ignoring the poison in you it’s pathetic. Barely even Gillian level… You wanna know what I think about your dumb story? I think you’re a liar.”

The Espada’s hand shifted up to Averstruz’s neck. The captive clawed at Grimmjow’s hand, desperately trying to free himself as his fingers tightened more and more.

_“Ack! Stop!”_ Averstruz pleaded through shortening breath, “ _Can’t… breathe!”_

“And liars bore me.”

A sickening snap followed. Averstruz went limp, his one arm falling down and dangling weakly. Grimmjow tossed his body into the shadows and sat down on a rock behind him, pleased with himself. Unfortunately, he was the only one satisfied right now.

“What the hell, Grimmjow!” Appaci cursed loudly, “We still had more to ask!”

Hushing her team mate, Sung-Sun pulled Nel closer into her robe. “He could still have been useful, you know.”

“No, he wasn’t,” Grimmjow stated, “You might not think I have any kind of intuition, but I can tell when somebody doesn’t know a damn thing. He was just a random punk that thought he could make it big by sucking up to those stronger than him. He was clueless to what was really going on. No different than us.”

Salvaging the cloak from the corpse, Mila handed it to Sung-Sun as a blanket for Nel. “Seeing as Tia put you in charge, what next?”

“Bury the body. I’d blow him up but the Calaveras would definitely hear a cero. Got to cover our tracks while we find somewhere safe to train ourselves up to fight.”

“Fight?” Appaci threw her arms up in frustration, “You said that BG9 guy stole Tia’s powers! What’s stopping him from doing the same to us?!”

“Not a damn thing. But I ain’t gonna be a coward like the dead guy and keep running till I’m caught and slaughtered. If you want to do that, be my guest.”

“Can’t believe I’m saying this,” Mila sighed, “But Grimmjow’s right. Tia would scold us if we hid with our tail between our legs. Besides, it’s not like its four against an army.”

She held up her left arm, clenching her fist.

“We’ve still got Ayon.”

* * *

Today was the day Tia discovered she hated shopping malls.

The very concept of a giant building meant solely for humans to spend their earnings and fuel meaningless consumerism baffled her. Huge crowds bumping shoulders with each other constantly was excessively annoying. This was not to mention the human men who stared at her with perversion and lust as if they had never seen a female before. Her headache was well justified.

Mr. Urahara had sent her alongside Yoruichi to meet with his Quincy informants late that afternoon. At first, it was Orihime who was going to accompany the Espada until Yoruichi volunteered herself instead. She was told the kind-hearted mom had mended many of the old wounds between them and her husband along with one other big favor; in return for that they had vowed to stay in line and cause no trouble. Still, Tia had some reservations about dealing with them again.

This wasn’t the first time she had met these women.

“Well, this is the place,” Yoruichi said as they walked up to a vendor. It was a restaurant built into the mall, with dim lights and TVs hanging from the walls. There was a long counter on the back wall, with bottles of many shapes decorating the shelving. Smooth jazz music could be heard playing from inside. “American style. Not a bad place for a drink or two.”

“So that is why you wanted to come so badly,” Tia replied, following the woman in. Why did this place have to be so crowded as well? It would be a pain to find the Quincies in here. A waitress offered to give them a table, but Yoruichi declined for them and said they were meeting someone. The two ended up sitting at the far end of the bar, Tia peering at every table behind them to spot their targets. “I don’t see them in here. Are we at the right place?”

The cat woman waved her hand slightly at the bar tender, with two fingers held up. “Sure are. The older two come here often to pick up guys.”

“How nice,” Tia mumbled, as two drinks slid down the counter to them. She eyed the glass, then Shihouin. “I don’t drink.”

“You don’t drink, or you’ve never drank?” she replied, bringing the clear liquid to her lips, “Actually, do you even need liquids? Being a Hollow and all.”

“The last one.”

“Well, I’m paying so either you taste it or you’ll be carrying me back to Kisuke’s place.”

Damn this woman. She was clever.

Not one to fear tasting something new, Tia took the stout glass in hand and drank the entire thing. Yoruichi and a few nearby patrons looked on in awe as the Espada finished the vodka without even flinching.

“That… wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be.”

“Wait until it hits you. The Gigai will delay that for a bit, but that’s gonna kick your ass when it settles.”

“Doubtful… Hold on. I think I see them.”

Sure enough Halibel had spotted their informants walking in, the two large strands of hair sticking up like antennae on the one were a dead giveaway. Yoruichi met eyes with the tall green-haired one, and they left the bar to join them at a large circular booth.

“How is it, ladies?” Yoruichi greeted them, sliding into the seat next to Tia. “Not up to any trouble lately, are you?”

“Define trouble,” Candice Catnipp sneered, giving the shorter woman beside her the side eye. The other Quincy – the unsettling one – did a little finger-wiggle dance.

“Bambi’s been naughty~!” Giselle Gewelle chimed in sing-song.

“The bastard deserved it, you two!” Bambietta Basterbine snapped back, “He went behind my back, so I made sure he couldn’t ever have children. He’s lucky I didn’t turn his balls into bombs!”

It was odd to Tia seeing the three Sternritter out of their white uniforms, instead opting for a crop-top, tank top and sweater respectively. They looked like regular humans, aside from Candice’s bright green hair. The last time Tia had seen Bambi, she had been an undead slave to the ‘friend’ on her right. Now that she looked quite youthful and alive, it was fairly obvious what favor Orihime did for Bambi to create peace.

“Where’s Meninas and Liltotto today?” Shihouin asked Bambi to calm her temper.

“They said they don’t like this place. But I think they just wanted to trash my side of the apartment.”

Candice smirked, taking a drink from a waiter while slipping him a paper with her number on it. “Or some peace and quiet away from you.”

“Don’t test me, bitch!”

Wow. A temper to match Apacci.

Giselle leaned over Bambi and invaded Candy’s personal space. “Ooh, giving yourself away to random waiter boys now? I was saving Keigo for you.”

“That guy won’t ever come back to our place ever again after he found out _you_ weren’t exactly telling him the truth about certain things.”

“Wasn’t his face adorable when he saw-

“Back on topic, ladies,” Yoruichi butted in, much to Tia’s relief, “We do have something important to discuss.”

The Quincies calmed down, collecting themselves with drinks in hand. Sliding her cell phone into her bra, Bambietta took charge. “Apparently so. Your buddy called us up and said BG9 was alive?”

Tia nodded. “He’s in Hueco Mundo now, attempting a takeover. Possibly more. We need to know everything you can tell us about him prior to his first death. History. Powers. Whatever you can.”

“Just had to be that guy, huh?” Candice sighed, “The bucket head. Tin Man. _Chrome-dome_. He hated that last one.”

“Even I thought he was creepy,” Giselle added in.

“Hey, I’m talking here!” Bambi exclaimed, smacking her fist on the table. Meanwhile, Yoruichi pulled a small recording device out of her jacket and placed it on the table; it would be difficult to remember everything after a drink or two. “Geez… BG9. Not a lot of us knew where exactly he came from at first, and we still don’t honestly. He was like Gremmy. One look at him and you just had to wonder, 'Is Ywhach smoking something to bring this guy in?’ Of course, we didn’t question him back then. Death sentence on the spot.”

The Quincy took a drink, handing the reigns to Candice. “There was lots of rumors about him between all of us. He was one of the few Sternritters from the first generation alongside Lillie and Robert. Since we had parts of the Soul King working with us, some thought he was that guy’s brain or at least a fraction of it. Never found that out, in the end. Either way, BG9 wasn’t really BG9. The Knowledge was the being; BG9 was the empty shell powered by it. But BG9 was a lot quicker to say, so it stuck.”

“So his power is The Knowledge?” Tia asked, “That is what allowed him to steal my Resurrección?”

All three Quincies looked at each other in shock.

“That’s… new,” Bambietta replied, “Just having Hollow reiatsu inside of us was poison during the war. It even happened to him, too. You’re sure he stole it?”

“I can no longer use it, so I’d say yes.”

“Damn,” Candice said, “He got an upgrade.”

“That is pretty much how his power works,” Bambi continued, “To put it simply, if he can see it, and his body is actually capable of mimicking it, then he could ‘learn’ that power and take it. If you wanted to stop him, it would have to be with an ability he could somehow not control, or with something he could not understand the knowledge of.”

That second one caught Tia’s attention. “Something he can’t understand?”

“Weird, huh?” Giselle said, “We all knew there were certain powers he for sure couldn’t copy. He definitely couldn’t control the old Head Captain’s Bankai and Ywhach’s The Almighty. Then there were the special ones like Gerard and Pernida, since they were, like, Soul King related stuff.”

“But since he can apparently learn Hollow powers now,” Bambi followed, “It wouldn’t be wise to try and out-power him. He was tough before, and is probably a lot tougher now. But finding something he can’t understand nowadays… That’d be a stretch.”

“There were a couple Bankai we didn’t know about,” Candice said, pointing at Yoruichi, “Like yours. But once he sees it in action he can just pick it apart and use it. Doesn’t even have to see all of it. Ten seconds max and your toast.”

“Well, there goes that option,” Yoruichi sighed, taking another drink, “Barely even have to use my Zanpakuto, and when she’s just about to be useful…”

Letting her mind simmer on ideas, Tia moved on to something else. “Do you have any idea of what he might want to accomplish out of this?”

“BG9 wasn’t much of a talker,” Bambi answered, “But there was that one time Liltotto heard from Bernice who heard from Cang Du that BG9 spoke about something… odd. I remember it word for word, because it was pretty weird: _Once one knows all, all can be on_ e.”

Giselle wiggled their fingers like spiders. “Super spooky~!”

The creepy zombie was right. BG9 was after something, some sort of knowledge that he could only access by taking Hueco Mundo. What exactly that information was, however, wasn’t important in the moment. All Tia needed was a way to kill him before he could get it.

“It might be weird, coming from us,” Candice said, giving Tia and Yoruichi a small, but genuine, smile, “But we hope you can beat him. The last thing we want is more fighting right now. The time we’ve had free from Ywhach and all that conflict has been pretty freaking nice. Last thing we want is to lose that. Kick his ass good for us, alright?”

Tia returned the smile. Odd, how much even these people could change over time. When someone with cruel intentions is feeding you deception and orders, you can change from the person you really are.

She noticed a nearby window, the sun having set behind the clear night sky. A whole day had passed. Nel could be dead, and she might not even know it.

“It’s late,” Tia said, hastily standing up, “Thank you for the help. We should get-

Just as soon as she stood, Halibel felt an intense dizziness take over. Her head light as a feather, she crumpled to her knees and watched the blurry floor spinning below her.

It felt funny. And warm. And funny, again.

“Whuh… What’s goin’ on? I feel… not good…”

Yoruichi knelt down beside her and hoisted her up, the Sternritters laughing at the Espada’s drunken state. She waved goodbye to the women as she walked Halibel out of the bar. “See? Told you it’d kick your ass.”

* * *

The trip back to the Kurosaki house was embarrassing. The Queen of Hueco Mundo, with all her power, wasn’t even able to walk on her own two feet, Yoruichi her crutch as they made their way down the long street. Defeated by a simple liquid.

It should have been funny, but it wasn’t.

How further down would she spiral?

“Almost there,” Yoruichi said, easing her around a hole in the pavement, “Just watch your step and… Are you crying?”

Tia’s legs stopped in place, not budging an inch. She closed her eyes tightly, not used to the burning. “It’s fine.”

“Uh-uh. No you’re not.”

“Don’t patronize me!” the Espada snapped, “You have no idea!”

The cat woman sighed. Alcohol did have a tendency to let people speak their heart more freely. Tia’s head hung low, her eyes focused on the ground.

“…I’m tired of this. Ywhach. Aizen. BG9. The damn drink! I keep failing, and failing, and failing, and I always need someone to help me back up!” She tore herself away from Yoruichi, wobbly standing still.

“There’s nothing wrong with others helping you,” Yoruichi said calmly, “Depending on friends is a good thing.”

“You still don’t understand! I am a liability! My whole existence is based on me giving my life for others, and yet they keep putting themselves in danger having to save me! How could I ever call someone a friend if I don’t deserve to be theirs?!”

Shihouin tried to reply, but Halibel kept going.

“I don’t like feeling this way, _I shouldn’t!_ I can’t stop it, just like the dreams, the panic attacks! No amount of power I could ever have will make them stop! I’m not in control of myself and that scares me! I don’t want to be afraid!”

“Halibel-

Tia looked up. Her face was twisted in anguish, tears flowing freely. “Nel and the Tres Bestias think I am a completely different person than I am… Having to bottle everything inside you and live a façade of confidence. I’ve been doing it for years, and I don’t know how much longer I can do it. If they die I won’t be able to tell them I was sorry… _for living a lie for them.”_

She crumbled to the ground, head buried in her palms as she sobbed. Yoruichi rushed to her side and knelt by her, placing an arm around her shoulders and keeping her secure as she panted heavily. She said not a word.

Minutes passed by, the only source of light the flickering street lamp above them. Tia wept for as long as she could, eventually tiring out and falling asleep on Yoruichi. She carried the sleeping Espada back to the Kurosaki clinic, lying to Orihime about Tia having passed out from one too many drinks. This night was their secret.

Walking home herself, she thought about Kisuke’s plan and how Halibel would be involved. She had a strong feeling about what he was going to do, and she didn’t like it. It was incredibly dangerous, something never attempted before.

In her current mental state, Tia’s chances of surviving were not in her favor.


	7. The Judgement: Prelude

_Name: Tensa Zangetsu, ‘_ Heaven Chain Slaying Moon’.

_Wielder:_ Ichigo Kurosaki

_Appearance:_ Khyber-knife shaped melee weapon. Formed from dual Zanpakuto in Shikai form; larger sword conceals the smaller bowie-knife one within.

_Abilities:_ _Unmei Kattā_ , ‘Fate Cutter’. All of Ichigo's attributes abilities are increased by 200%. Kurosaki is granted speed faster than any other recorded Shinigami. Inner blade can be utilized if outer shell is destroyed, retains the same power level as if the sword was not damaged. Also capable of producing an enhanced golden Getsuga Tensho, an adopted ability from Kurosaki's Shikai. Video Footage: CLICK TO PLAY..

_Video Footage_ : **CLICK TO PLAY.**

* * *

Fascinating.

The footage of Ichigo cutting down Ywhach was a surreal visual for BG9. The shaky surveillance video captured of the universe-changing battle clearly showed the brutal bifurcation of his former savior, once revered as immortal. The robot analyzed the visible power emanating from Kurosaki’s blade as its outer shell broke, comparing it to all known forms within his collected knowledge while using Kurotsuchi’s numerical wavelength data to replicate the necessary pattern and volume needed to control it.

The resulting numerals were extremely high.

It was not due to the power of the Bankai itself, but the individual strength of Ichigo himself. His hybrid lineage had lent him significant spiritual pressure than allowed him to easily control such a spectacular power.

This was exactly what BG9 planned for. His own Quincy and Hollow composition was influenced by Kurosaki’s blood line. If he shared the same reiatsu formula as him, the odds of being able to successfully learn his Bankai increased by a desirable percentage. It was not 100%, however.

BG9 was well aware that his plan had a great risk of failure, and this here was the unsure variable. His own reiatsu was extremely high; he would not be able to hold two Resurrección simultaneously if that was not the case. This Bankai was at a power level greater than, at the very minimum, five of those. BG9 had calculated thousands of different outcomes for the events that would occur upon learning Tensa Zangetsu.

The success rate was 50%.

Unhooking himself from the computer terminal, BG9 exited the room and made his way to the throne room of Las Noches. The sounds of Calaveras battling uncooperative Arrancar within the palace echoed through the giant halls, but the chaos did not faze the robot. A 50% chance of success was too low for such a fundamental step of his plan. Without Kurosaki’s Bankai, he would lack the power advantage needed to attain his ultimate goal. The plan required adjustment.

An explosion rattled a nearby hallway to BG9’s left. Observing the fight, he saw two odd Arrancar holding their own against his shock troopers. The fat one flung himself into the Calaveras, swinging around a giant mace while his smaller companion spewed a slime from his facial protrusion. Using his facial scanner, BG9 immediately identified the two as Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne.

When it realized who these two Fracionnes belonged to, BG9’s calculation for victory skyrocketed.

“Huh?” Pesche stopped swinging his sword as the remaining Calaveras suddenly stopped fighting and took a knee, “What are you all doing? I was having fun, you know!”

“Uh, buddy…” Dondochakka muttered fearfully, his stumpy body starting to shake and rattle.

“I think they’re afraid of us, Dondochakka! Our powers are too unbelievably super-awesome for them to beat, so they just gave up!”

“I don’t think it’s cuz of us.”

The bug-faced Arrancar looked behind him and almost wet his loincloth. The two were completely frozen in place as BG9 aimed his mini gun at them. “Greetings, Arrancar. I commend you for your bravery in resisting my troopers. However, this is unacceptable behavior. You two are now designated as vital components to my victory. I will ask you once to peacefully drop your Zanpakuto and surrender as my captives.”

“Oh yeah?” Pesche sassed back, knees rattling, “And if we don’t?”

The sound of BG9’s gun warming up to fire was a good enough answer for him.

“Ok! We surrender!”

As the two threw their weapons into the air and were instantly restrained by the Calaveras, BG9 withdrew his weapon. “Excellent. Your compliance is appreciated. Soon enough, you shall be reunited with your Espada master. I will ensure no harm is brought to you until then.”

That was not a lie. Treating prisoners with civil behavior ensured docile behavior, for the time being. These two being alive would be of grave importance to ensuring Kurosaki’s willingness to surrender upon his expected arrival.

Opening up his communications channel, BG9 was soon answered by his collaborator. “Rudbornn. Are you still within close vicinity to Las Noches?”

“I am. I am only 2 kilometers or so away.”

“I require you to return briefly. I wish to deliver to you two new assets that will certainly draw your targets out into the open.”

* * *

Morning again.

Tia had awoken this time with a splitting headache, feeling much worse than she had yesterday. But it was something she would have to get over. Not long after getting out of bed, Orihime had received a call from Mr. Urahara asking for Tia. After Yoruichi had given him the info told to them by the Sternritter ladies, he had worked through the night in preparing his plan to stop BG9. He wanted Tia and Ichigo there as soon as possible.

On the way to his shop, Halibel stayed relatively quiet, only replying when Ichigo spoke to her. She vividly remembered every word she had said to Yoruichi last night, and it sickened her. To appear so defeated in front of another was shameful. As much as she tried to not let those thoughts torment her, they wouldn’t go away.

_Worthless._

The two eventually reached their destination, with Yoruichi waiting outside for them. “Morning, you two.”

“Same to you,” Ichigo greeted.

Halibel and the cat lady shared a quick look. The former nodded her head, and Yoruichi understood. Not a word would be spoken about that. “Where is Kisuke?”

“He’s in the basement,” Yoruichi said, opening the door for them. She reached into her pocket and gave Halibel a small pill. “Eat this; it will let you exit your Gigai. You’re not going to need it down there.”

She popped the pill into her mouth, and exited the artificial body with ease. The body then smiled at her gleefully with a little wave. “Hi! I’m Ririn!”

“…Hello,” Tia said with curiosity. Beside her Kurosaki had also eaten a pill and left his Gigai, and shook the hand of the mod-soul inhabiting his body named Noba. “What is this, exactly?”

“A mod-soul,” Yoruichi replied, “But that’s something to explain another time. There’s no time to waste.”

Tia followed Yoruichi and Ichigo down the long staircase. To her surprise, the dark corridor led to a large barren field of rock and dirt. The walls were painted to resemble a sky, making the room appear much larger than it actually was. Sitting in the center of the space was Urahara in a lounge chair, holding a clear glowing cylinder in his lap. Beside him stood a tall, mustached man with glasses. A bizarre sensation rushed through Halibel when she looked into the center of the purple item, one of familiarity. Of rebirth.

“Ah! You made it!” the shopkeeper said, hoisting himself up, “Took your time, huh?”

“I’m not a morning person,” Ichigo replied, his gaze fixated on the strange object in Kisuke’s grasp. “What is that?”

“The key to victory,” Urahara placed the container on the ground and walked away from it, “Surely you recognize it, don’t you Miss Halibel?”

There was no way. She knew what it was, or at last what the power had once been a part of. Hell, she had fought alongside the one who once merged with it.

“How do you have that?” Halibel demanded, pointing at the capsule, “Aizen merged with that!”

Ichigo looked at her in disbelief. “Wait a second… Is that-

“The Hogyoku?” Urahara finished, “No. Not exactly.”

Tia gritted her teeth in anger. That item was the cause of her evolution to an Arrancar, and by extension the cause of all of her misery. _“Explain!”_

Sighing, Urahara complied. “As I’m sure you’re aware, I developed one of the original two Hogyoku a long time ago. And as you also likely know, Aizen merged his with mine and created one singular entity. When Aizen merged with it, it became a part of him and eventually rejected him. A portion of the Hogyoku energy left his body and eventually dissipated into non-existence, unable to keep its form without an outer form of protection. Almost all of that energy was gone... except for this small amount you see in here. I collected it shortly after it had rejected Aizen, so I could try to figure out a way to destroy it. After all this time, I firmly believe it is indestructible.”

“How many people know you have this?” Ichigo questioned, “The Soul Society can’t be too happy about hearing that you still have this here.”

“I’m fully aware of that, Mr. Kurosaki. That’s why only Yoruichi, Tessai and now you two know about this small sample. It is unable to exist without being in containment or inside of a host. This little bit is nowhere near enough to grant someone the powers Aizen had; it is too weak to sustain huge transformations for a long time. If it is pushed to its limit, it could severely hurt the wielder. However, it will give a still great amount of power to anyone who takes it in. And that is where you come in, Miss Halibel.”

“You want me to fuse with that?” she asked, slightly stunned, “You can’t be serious.”

“When someone fuses with that energy, it will manifest their own desires as long as the wielder has the willpower to make them so. That composition is sentient, Miss Halibel. It can communicate with you in its own odd way. It will help you, or deny you like it did with Aizen. If you and it bond, you will gain strength unlike no other.”

“That BG9 can steal for himself.”

“BG9 will not be able to steal any abilities granted to you from the Hogyoku because the Hogyoku draws strength from the host itself. The thing about desire, willpower and potential is that they are variables tied to one person. Not one individual, be they human, Hollow or Quincy share those attributes with another. The Hogyoku recognizes that. If it manifests something based off of your very conviction, it is not an ordinary reiatsu or reishi based ability. It is you, and you alone. You are the strength. The desire itself is given form to be used to achieve your goals. From what I learned, BG9 is emotionless; a cold, calculated entity without the capacity for real empathy or emotion. If it attempts to take the power of the Hogyoku, there are three definite outcomes.”

The shopkeeper held up three fingers, lowering one after listing off each outcome. “One: BG9 will be unable to understand the wielder’s emotion-based desires manifested and will fail. Two: BG9 will be rejected by the Hogyoku itself, being deemed as an obstacle to its current host, and will fail. Or three: both will occur simultaneously. There is no possible outcome where he can take its power as its own.”

Halibel was skeptical. “What if you’re wrong? What if you-

“I am not wrong,” Urahara interjected abruptly, “Let me tell you this. I am more familiar with this than Aizen, than anyone, ever was or could be. If I am sure it will work, trust me. _It will work.”_

Tessai nodded his head. “I have known this man for centuries, Miss Halibel. I will back him up on that.”

“And this is where we reach the dangerous part,” Urahara continued, “The actual merging. All you have to do, Tia, is place the energy within your hand and put it into your Hollow hole. That place is the source of where your heart vanished, and where the Hogyoku will attempt to fill that void. From there, it is up to you to convince it that is should not reject you.”

Tia’s eyes were fixed on the Hogyoku remnant the entire time he spoke. She could feel her hands shaking slightly. “…How do I do that?”

“That, I can’t answer. I never merged with it, so I have no clue. It will speak to you, and you alone I presume. If your will is strong enough, you should have no issue in bonding with it. If you don’t, it will reject you. And that, unfortunately, could be deadly. It has never merged with an Arrancar before; it has only created them. I hypothesize that it could undo your creation and destroy you, or permanently damage your psyche. Those are just two of the nicer sounding ones. And even if you do successfully bond with it, you can’t push yourself to the extreme. It will likely drain your own life to keep itself working.”

“Very encouraging,” Ichigo murmured to himself.

“The choice is yours, Miss Halibel,” Urahara and Tessai joined the three of them, leaving the Hogyoku remnant all alone before them, “If you think you are capable of it, go over and follow the steps I told you. If not, then we’ll need to think of another plan.”

* * *

She couldn’t do it.

Tia continued to stare at her judgement sitting just a few meters before her. It would reject her. It would kill her for being herself. She didn’t deserve it. She was a worthless piece of shit who couldn’t do anything right for herself.

She was pathetic. She hated herself. She wanted to die.

Her chest was getting tighter.

_Not now._

Legs weak. Ears ringing.

Everything was feeling hot. Stomach churning.

_Stop._

Eyes watering.

Just grab it.

_Let it kill you._

* * *

“Hey, Tia!” Ichigo shook the Espada’s shoulder, “Hey! Talk to me! What’s wrong?!”

Yoruichi moved Ichigo away, gripping Halibel’s hand. “Hey! Look at me. You’re having a panic attack. Tia. _Tia!”_

**_“I’ll do it!”_ **

Breaking from Shihouin’s grip, Halibel rushed to the Hogyoku with Sonido. As she reached down for the fragment, she felt Yoruichi grab her again. She was quick.

“Tia, don’t! You’re not ready! Do not touch-

Too late.

* * *

Everything went silent. Not a sound to be heard. It was ethereal, unnatural.

Suddenly feeling normal, all signs of her panic attack gone, Tia looked beside her at Yoruichi, frozen in place. A look of anger and concern sat on her still face. In front of her was Ichigo, Urahara and Tessai, all of them frozen mid-step as well.

She pulled her arm away from the cat woman, her body feeling unusually light and lucid. The color of everything around her started to fade to grey, a thick purple haze swirling around the ground below.

Tia could feel something else here with her, something strong. The Hogyoku.

“Hello, Tia.”

That voice. It was _him._

She spun around in search of that familiar, despicable voice. Behind her, forming from the grey landscape itself was a man she despised. He wore the same white cloak that he had in Hueco Mundo, a single loose strand of hair hanging over his face. Tia clenched her fist tightly, her nails puncturing her palm and drawing blood as he smirked at her.

“It has been some time since we first met,” Sosuke Aizen said, “I’d very much like to get to know you better.”


	8. The Judgement: What I Can Be

“Impossible…”

Halibel was right; there was no way that Sosuke Aizen could be standing before her in this world. The traitor was still locked away in the depths of Muken for thousands of years. This was certainly some sort of illusion from the Hogyoku fragment. Reality was frozen around her, except for herself and this projection of Aizen. Or perhaps the Hogyoku had brought her into itself, or pulled herself into her own mind. She had no idea. None of this made sense.

“You are correct,” said ‘Aizen’, holding his hands in his pockets, “You are not speaking to the actual Sosuke Aizen. Him being the last host of my full form, I share an identity with his persona. If he as my avatar disturbs you, I can easily change it.”

She didn’t respond to that question. It didn’t matter what it looked like, in the end. All that mattered was what it had to say. Her head was a mess, but she needed answers. “You are the Hogyoku?”

“I am, and also you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I know you don’t.”

The hue of the mist around Tia began to change to a murky green. The avatar melded into the fog, dissipating into nothingness. Dim yellow lights tried to show themselves through the thickening fog, pulsating above and around her, but were too weak to penetrate the growing darkness.

She felt her throat tightening up, as if someone was grasping her neck and choking her. Dropping to one knee, Tia saw herself reflected in the floor below her. It was no mirror: she wasn’t seeing her current self.

Staring back was her as a Vasto Lorde, with light blue skin and her full toothy mask still wrapped around her face. Its eyes were empty, black with no pupils. She reached out to grasp at it, believing it was another illusion. She had barely time to react when it grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her violently into the floor.

“No!” she yelled, desperately reaching at the air as she fell in free-fall through pitch black nothingness. No air blew to slow her fall. She was descending down, down towards a tiny yellow light that slowly grew in diameter as she approached it.

What should she do? Would she die upon impact? Would she fall forever?

“You’ve been confused for some time.”

Tia looked beside her. The false Aizen was standing there in place, following her as she fell without blinking. _“What is this place?!”_

“Where do you think you are?” the illusion asked, “Can you not feel it? What is it you are missing?”

“Missing?”

Her Resurrección? No, not that.

Her heart.

She grabbed at her chest. She stopped falling, feeling her body softly land on nothing. The perspective shifted to make her feel like she was standing upright. Was she within herself right now, the part of her long vanished?

“You acknowledge what you lack,” Aizen’s voice said, the avatar gone once more. It was loud, coming from all around her. “What you lack is not easily returned.”

The light Halibel had seen below her had started to rise up, until it was but a small glowing orb in front of her face. It could fit in the palm of her hand, yet it burned when she reached out to touch it.

“I cannot give that back to you,” the voice said, “You must show me you deserve it.”

“What do you mean?” Tia replied, fixated on the orb, “I don’t deserve anything.”

“Then why are you here?”

She closed her eyes in shame.

The avatar appeared behind her, reaching into its cloak. Hearing the sound of clinking steel, Tia opened her eyes as she felt the blade puncture through her shoulder just above where her heart would be.

It was exactly how Aizen had cut her down before. It hurt just as much this time as it had the last.

She opened her mouth to scream, but her voice was gone. And just as abruptly, so was the blade. Looking back, the avatar was also gone, replaced by a square box of light. Tia did not want to approach it, standing firmly in place. However, she would have no choice, as it slowly inched towards her.

“Stay back!” she yelled silently, lifting her hands to defend herself. The rattling of chains came from the darkness above, metal links wrapping around her wrists and raising her arms over her head. Her legs buckled out from under her as an unseen force kicked them from behind. Two metal stakes shot up from below and pierced her ankles. She was trapped, helpless as the glowing square passed over her.

Her surroundings changed to a familiar, horrible sight. Deep gray walls on three sides, a curtain draped in front of her. The red cloth started to shift before it was violently torn aside, a monster revealed to her.

Ywhach towered over her, grinning madly. Beside him was BG9, wielding Tiburon and Gamuza.

“You are weak,” the robot stated, “Undeserving. A worthless Hollow.”

“A prisoner,” the illusion of Ywhach said, drawing his sword to strike her, “Even within yourself.”

_“NO!”_

She heard her voice cry out, closing her eyes tight. But there was no pain, no cut this time. The room was gone when she opened her eyes again, no longer restrained. Back in the void once more.

The Hogyoku was tormenting her with failures. No, this was not the Hogyoku’s doing.

This was all herself.

“I am here,” Tia said quietly, on hands and knees, “Because I wanted to die. Because I am not worthy of being alive.”

“You are alive right now,” the Hogyoku spoke out, “How are you not worthy if you stand here today?”

“…I had to be saved,” she answered, “By others. I was too weak to save myself so they had to burden themselves with me.”

“If you were such a burden to them, why would they bother saving you in the first place?”

Glowing outlines of human shapes walked in front of her. They were faint and golden, but Tia could tell who they were meant to represent.

Nel. Apacci. Mila Rose. Sung-sun.

The figures surrounded her, their facial features becoming clearer as the Espada stared at them longer. All four of them were smiling at her. But why? She didn’t deserve them.

“I… I don’t know.”

“Do not lie. We both know the answer.”

“No!” she denied, the void flashing a bright red, “It doesn’t matter what they think of me. I don’t deserve to be saved!”

“Why is that?”

“I’ve told you! Because I’m a failure!”

“Why is that?”

_“Because I’m weak!”_

Around her, the world began to rumble, red streaks raining down on the endless horizon like television static. The outlines of those she knew vanished, dissipating into a gold dust cloud. An immense pressure crushed Tia, trying to flatten her into the invisible surface she was on. With her all of her strength she resisted, forcing her body up as she declared her heart to the nothingness.

“I can’t save myself, I can’t save others! I take them in, I let them come close to me, and I can’t protect them like I want to! I bring nothing but misery to them! And I don’t want that!”

“And what do you want?”

_“I just want a purpose! Something to protect! Something I can love!”_

Instantly, the void turned blindingly white. Feeling a strange warmth wash over her body, Tia breathed heavily as she stood up. There was a sound, distant, calling to her. A voice she did not recognize.

Slowly, Tia went forward in the direction it was coming from. She felt like she was floating with every step, feeling a sense of ease she had never felt before; a sense that just a bit of weight had been taken off of her shoulders. It felt soothing, just like the voice she headed towards.

A rift formed in the void, a swirling golden sphere with a pitch black center. Within it was the small orb, pulsating.

She reached out for it again, and this time it did not burn her. In her hand it expanded and enveloped around her in a bright light.

* * *

Tia felt a cool breeze whip through her hair as she appeared in a new, less abstract world. It was a hilly field, covered in grass and yellow flowers for as far as she could see. Her skin was warmed by the sun above, and she shielded her eyes as she looked into the sea of green.

It was beautiful.

She spotted two figures running through the field, happily walking about. A man and a woman, both completely black silhouettes with no features. They were holding hands, stopping under a tall tree to sit down. Tia watched as they kissed, the woman resting her head on the man’s shoulder. Their features slowly formed as Tia looked at them longer. The man was unidentifiable, no sense of familiarity. He was dressed shoddily, clearly unable to afford any new clothes. The woman was dressed similarly to him, but she was still happy.

The woman was her.

“What is this?” Tia whispered.

She blinked, and it was gone. Now she was somewhere different: a human church. She and the man stood in front of an altar and kissed on the lips.

Another blink, another place. She could see herself riding on the waves atop a large white board. Its pattern reminded her of Tiburon.

_Blink._

A small living space, similar to Ichigo’s home but more dirty and worn. Tia saw herself and the man jumping up and down in glee, embracing one another again. In her hand was a small piece of pink plastic. Whatever that item was must have been the source of their joy.

_Blink._

It was the same room, but cleaner than before. Tia saw herself standing there alone, her belly slightly engorged as spoke excitedly over a boxy telephone.

_Blink._

A medical room. She and the man sat in two small chairs beside each other as a doctor read something to them from a chart. Tia couldn’t hear what he said, but as he said something her old self collapsed onto the man and cried in agony, soon sliding to the floor as she clutched her belly.

_Blink._

The house, again. She and the man were arguing, a bottle in the latter’s hand. He struck her with it.

_Blink._

She was alone in the house, sitting and crying on a couch. A pile of child toys sat untouched in a nearby corner.

_Blink._

This time was different. Tia was no longer the bystander, having taken the place of her old self on the couch. In shock she looked around her, not sure how she had switched places. She could hear sirens coming from somewhere unknown, growing louder and louder. A pounding on the door, a man’s voice begging her to let him in. She looked down at the table in front of her, covered in cigarettes and empty orange bottles. A bloody razorblade glistened red in the mess.

She looked at her arms. They matched the blade.

A single tear trickled down her face.

And with one last blink, it was gone.

* * *

Tia was back in the white void, alone. She looked down at her arms, and was relieved that the wounds were gone. It did not stop her tears from flowing faster.

She understood clearly what she was missing.

It was not just her heart that had been lost. No, it was so much more.

“My child,” Halibel whimpered, feeling a pain in her Hollow hole, “My sweet child…”

She would have given her life for that child if she could, but instead she had taken her own selfishly. She never gave herself a chance to try again, and the hole in her womb was her cross to bear. The desire to protect, to keep those close to her safe, was her curse. She wanted to be a mother, but her fatal flaw as a human had continued to repeat itself over and over again with her failures.

But this time…

No.

No, not this time.

_Not again._

Tia, with her face coated in tears of sorrow, stood up tall. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She thought of Nel, the Tres Bestias, her friends – _no, her family,_ the ones she loved – and of what they meant to her. Nobody else in the universe had shown her the compassion and understanding they did, and she had selfishly rejected it in fear of growing too close, too afraid that their deaths would send her to her own demise.

She would not push them away ever again, as long as she lived. They would give their lives to protect her out of love. She would do the same, but she would never fall in battle again.

They needed each other. All of them.

They were the rulers of Hueco Mundo, and she would be damned to let BG9 tear her family apart.

With a mighty shout, Tia’s yellow reiatsu flared up around her in a towering inferno, the most strength she had felt since losing her Resurrección. She could feel her Hollow hole burning, her energy burning brightest from the scar.

“Very good.”

She heard the Hogyoku’s voice, its avatar standing before her again. It was not Aizen this time, but her human self. No blue markings, her blonde hair tied behind her back, her stomach slightly bumped. “The moment you touched me, I knew you had the potential to fulfill your desire. All I had to do was convince you that you were strong enough.”

Tia smiled at the avatar, one last tear trailing down her cheek. She reached out and took its hand, the figure dissipating into her reiatsu and flowing to her Hollow hole. As it did, she could feel all that was lost return, as if she was holding Tiburon in her hand. Now, she didn’t need her sword. She was whole once more. Forever.

“Thank you for saving me.”

“No. You saved yourself.”

* * *

“Tia! Wake up!”

The Espada opened her eyes to a crowd of faces staring at her. She was on her back, propped up on Urahara’s lounge chair like she had passed out. Yoruichi was the first to notice she had awoken, and sighed a breath of relief. Halibel pushed herself up, gripping her head. “What happened?”

“You ran to the Hogyoku fragment, grabbed it, then dropped to the ground instantly,” Kisuke said, “It was slightly comical, in a dark way.”

Ichigo rolled his eyes at the tasteless humor as he took a small mirror from Tessai. “That’s not all that happened. Take a look.”

Her eyes widened upon seeing her reflection. Her blonde hair was now the color of slate grey. Even her eyes were different, now a darker shade of emerald green than before. She could feel something down where her Hollow hole sat, and quickly unzipped her outfit to check it out, forgetting the three men standing around her. Only Urahara did not cover his eyes.

“What?” Tia asked, raising an eyebrow, “It’s no more than you would see if I was in my Resurrección.”

“That’s not the point!” Ichigo retorted blindly, “I don’t need a second woman exposing herself so casually like Yoruichi around here! I’m a happily married man, just so you know!”

“I’m not.”

“Cut it, Kisuke!”

Ignoring the bickering, Halibel turned around to Yoruichi out of courtesy to check herself. To her awe, her hole was gone. Where it once sat was marked by a golden hexagonal tattoo, the new home of the Hogyoku fragment.

“Wow,” Yoruichi whistled, leaning down to inspect the mark, “No Hollow hole… You really did it, Tia. It’s part of you now. Feel any different?”

“Yes,” Tia replied, smiling as she zipped herself back up, “Very much so.”

“What did you have to do, anyways?”

“That… can stay a secret, for now.” Tia stepped back as Urahara slid into the space between the women, his gaze focused on her crotch.

“Well, well!” he said, pulling out a tiny notebook and scribbling on it, “This is quite an achievement. An Arrancar, nor a Hollow in general, has never been able to reform themselves completely and lose their hole. Fascinating! Do you mind if I take partial credit?”

“Would she even be considered an Arrancar anymore?” Tessai asked, stroking his chin, “Or something entirely different?”

Not one for science-speak, Ichigo interjected over Kisuke’s hypotheses. “So, how about we train those new powers of yours? I want to see what you’re going to use to kick BG9’s shiny metal ass into the sand with.”

“Mind if I invite myself?,” Yoruichi added, tossing her orange jacket aside, “I want to see how fast that has made you.”

“There’s not much time for that,” Halibel sighed, before a sly smirk formed on her lips, “But I think I can spare an hour to hone myself with you.”

Ichigo returned the grin, drawing Zangetsu’s blades from his back, “Competitive now? Man, the Hogyoku really changed more than just your hair. Now, let’s go!”

“Don’t worry,” Halibel said, her eyes glowing with yellow reiatsu, “I’ll take it easy on you.”

Friendship. Happiness. Banter. Memories. Mistakes. Sacrifice. Loss. Redemption. Strength. Resolve. Love.

So this is what it meant to finally be alive.


	9. Eve of Extinction

A full day had passed in the World of the Living since Grimmjow had killed Averstruz, but the unchanging sky of Hueco Mundo gave the group of Arrancar no hint to how much time had passed. They had been walking endlessly over the desert, having engaged with a few small groups of Calaveras that had surprised them. Rudbornn had set up numerous outposts for his soldiers in the wilderness, presumably in anticipation of having to hunt down any fleeing enemies. It was no trouble for the group, but every skirmish gave the main pursuing group more time to close the distance between them.

Just now they had finished off another squadron, and were piling the bodies in a sand pit. Apacci wiped a large blood splatter from her face as she kicked the last dead trooper in. “This is getting really tiresome, you know.”

“Tell me about it,” Grimmjow said. He was sitting on top of a large boulder, watching the horizon, “Killing these punks is a waste of my energy. That bastard Rudbornn planned this out. Wearing us down over time so he can pick us off when we are weakened.”

“Nuh-uh!”

The Espada jumped slightly, surprised by the sudden appearance of Nel on his shoulder. “Hey! Get off of me!”

“Dat ain’t gonna happen, kitty cat!” the little girl pumped her fist excitedly, “We’s the strongest there is! That cow head is nuthin’ compared to us! Miss Hollybelle will be back too, and she’ll bring Mr. Hat and Itsygo with her to beat the robot up!”

“Wait a minute. Did you say Ichigo Kurosaki?”

“Yup! He’s numbah one! He’ll always come to help Nel out! That’s what I told Miss Hollybelle!”

A sick smile spread across Grimmjow’s face, that Sung-sun was quick to notice. “Grimmjow, no.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, woman. You know how long it’s been since I’ve seen Kurosaki? I’ve waited years to kick his ass! Once this is all over I’ll show him who’s stronger!”

“Yeah, well just don’t start any crap before we kill BG9,” Mila said, “We’ll need all the help we can get. I just hope Tia made it there alright…”

Catching Nel as she leaped from Grimmjow’s perch, Sung sun let the girl hand from her shoulder. “Are you doubting her, Mila Rose?”

“No, I’m not. It’s just… I’m still worried about her. From what Grimmjow said happened-

“I know. I’m still concerned too. She was hurt badly, but she is strong. She will return. I know she will.”

“What if she doesn’t?”

“She will!” Apacci interjected angrily, “Tia’s put her life on the line for us so many times, and she’s always made it out okay! Now, we’re the ones who have to fight for her!”

“Yeah!” Nel chimed in with a victory pose, “We’s gotta do it! We are the best!

“Besides,” Apacci averted her eyes from her partners, blushing slightly, “You idiots piss me off a lot, but… We have to stick together. Cause we’re y’know. A family, or whatever. Yeah. Whatever.”

Mila and Sung-sun looked at each other. A second later, they started to tear up.

“You stupid bitch!” Mila cursed as she ran and hugged Apacci, “I hate you too, goddammit!”

“You’re both idiots…” Sung-sun muffled as she forced her way into the hug.

“Stop crying!” Apacci sniffled, “If you all cry, then I’ll start crying! _I hate all of you!”_

The Tres Bestias stood there, bonding in their own bizarre way. Grimmjow couldn’t bear to watch. Too sappy for his tastes. He slid down the rock, hands in his pockets as he inspected a pile of supplies that belonged to the dead Calaveras. Nel noticed his snooping, and scurried over to investigate with him.

He opened up a small metal trunk first, filled to the brim with assorted weapons. Grimmjow had never seen Calaveras use anything but swords before, but there tools in here that clearly weren’t blades. He picked up a small oval-shaped one, with a pin on top. He could sense a large amount of unstable spiritual energy contained within the device. “The hell is this thing?”

“Oh!” Nel popped up under him, reaching for the explosive, “That’s a boomer! If you pulls that little thing on top, it goes _kaboom!”_

Better hold onto this. Grimmjow hooked the grenade to his belt. “How do you know about this?”

“Itsygo told me lots about weapons from his world! Crazy stuff!”

“Hm.”

Human technology being adapted to a spiritual form was not a new concept, but arming shock troopers with them was. BG9 seemingly wanted Rudbornn to rearm his forces in a more militaristic manner. He dug further into the case, and at the bottom found else surprising. A pistol.

Grimmjow took the gun out and inspected it. He had never held one himself, but he instantly knew why Starrk enjoyed using them. He aimed into a nearby dune and pulled the trigger.

_BANG!_

The shot was quick, so fast that Grimmjow couldn’t see the small amount of energy even moving. It was at least as fast as using Sonido, if not more. The loud gunshot startled the Tres Bestias and broke up their group hug.

A scared Nel covered her ears and shook her head back and forth. _“No! Nel doesn’t like that!”_

“Oh yeah,” Grimmjow said, smirking as he put the gun into his jacket, “Definitely keeping this.”

While the advantage of having this was easy to figure out, the Espada soon wondered if the next group of Calaveras would all be wielding these. Not that they could kill him, though; he was too strong to die to them.

“Hey!” he shouted over at the women, “Get over here. We’ve got weapons to use.”

The voice that responded put Grimmjow on high alert.

“Is that so?” Rudbornn’s voice said from somewhere unknown. Drawing Pantera, Grimmjow scanned the surroundings for their hunter. As soon as he spotted the traitor, he was going to blast him away.

“Don’t worry, Grimmjow,” Rudbornn assured, “I’m nowhere close, but I know where you are.”

The bull’s voice was disrupted by static. Looking down at the trunk, Grimmjow saw a small blinking light and a speaker on one of its inner walls. “I knew you would be tempted to open this case, anyone would be. Curiosity is a fatal mistake. Once you opened it, the homing sensor was set off.”

“So what?” Grimmjow snapped back into the speaker, “You might find me, but you sure as hell won’t be able to kill me!”

“Oh, I don’t plan on it. There are Calaveras stationed at the four cardinal directions from your location, all closing in on you. They won’t kill you either. I wish to bargain.”

“Say what?” Mila Rose said, her and the women approaching, “What’s going on?”

“Ladies,” Rudbornn greeted, “I have a proposition. Once I arrive, hand me Nel over peacefully and you will be spared. If not, you will be destroyed by BG9 and myself.”

“You don’t scare us, dumbass!” Apacci retorted, “All four of us can overpower you with no trouble!”

“Arrogance. I figured as much, coming from that wench’s lackeys.”

“Don’t you dare call Tia that, you bastard!”

Sung-sun held the triggered Apacci back, taking a more calm approach to negotiating. “What makes you think we will give you Nel at all? You have nothing on us.”

“Oh, but I certainly do,” Rudbornn said smugly. They could hear him pulling something towards his end of the speaker. “Talk, idiots.”

The group wasn’t expecting him to have prisoners, let alone Nel’s two brothers.

“Nel! Are you there? Nel!” Pesche shouted, “It’s me! Pesche! We got captured!”

“I’m here, too!” Dondochakka followed, “Help us! These baddies are mean!”

Alarmed by the sound of her Fracciones crying for help, Nel jumped into the trunk and pounded on the speaker. “You let’em go, you meanie! We’re gonna kick your butts if you don’t!”

“If you don’t hand her over,” Rudbornn said, “I will kill them in front of her. Slowly. If you give me her, nobody dies. I will be there in one hour. Make your decision.”

The static call ceased. The four Arrancar stood there quietly for a moment until Grimmjow picked up Nel by her cloak from the trunk. “Like I said. Get the weapons. We’ll need them.”

“Grimmjow,” Sung-sun said, grabbing hold of Nel, “He has prisoners. If we attack he’ll kill them.”

The Espada patted his jacket where the gun was being held. “Not if I shoot his brains out. Or cut his head off, whichever feels right at the time.”

“We can’t let him kill Pesche and Dondochakka! They are Nel’s friends!”

“He won’t. I won’t let him kill those morons. Even if he tries I know I can get him first.”

“That’s a risk we can’t take,” Mila added, “But we can’t just give him Nel, either. We’re stuck.”

“Who knows how many troops are gonna be surrounding us, too,” Apacci said, “We could summon Ayon but if Rudbornn sees him he’ll kill the prisoners without hesitation. And if BG9 comes with him we’re double screwed.”

They had little options, and little time to choose. No matter their choice, Rudbornn could still betray his word and try to kill them regardless.

“Give Nel to them,” the small Espada’s words were faint, but certain, “Nel doesn’t want her brothers to get hurt, and Nel don’t want her other friends hurt too. The baddies don’t wanna hurt me, and you are all so tough. You’ll kick their butts if they try and hurt ya. So give Nel to them, please.”

She wasn’t wrong. Though she was trapped in such an inferior form, Nel was still thoughtful and intelligent. It just took a bit more to get it out of her.

“Then that’s that,” Mila Rose sighed, hands on her hips, “Now we just wait.”

“You can do that,” Grimmjow said, using his foot to make a hole in the sand. He dropped a reishi grenade in and covered it back up, tossing a piece of cloth over top to mark its location. “While I make this place a ticking time bomb.”

* * *

Things could not be going more smoothly for Rudbornn. The fools had fallen right in line with his trap, and now he would be able to watch that idiot Grimmjow die at the hands of his soldiers. And when the Espada was shot full of holes, bleeding out, he would cut his head off himself and hold it high.

His anticipation nearly made him forget to contact BG9 and update him on the events. The hybrid would be rejoining him shortly upon finishing his current task. Creating reishi weapons for his Calaveras took time.

BG9’s endgame was unbelievable to him at first. Creating a huge military from his soldiers was not so far-fetched, but when it suggested the use of reishi firearms based on human design over swords Rudbornn was rightfully concerned. Not many Arrancar were proficient with any sort of guns; his Calaveras were born with swords as well. BG9 had shown him records and footage of human warfare within his database, and of how destructive they could be. It made the mystical warfare of Shinigami and Arrancars seem primitive.

There were numerous Sternritter that had wielded more modern weapons. Robert Accurtrone, “The Nimble”, was one of BG9’s prime examples. His quick-fire weapons had taken the eye of the current Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 in an instant. The weapons the Calaveras were being given were based on the elder Quincy’s own. More powerful weapons took inspiration from the Schutzstaffel leader Lillie Barro and BG9’s own arsenal.

BG9’s power level was far higher than he had imagined it would be upon its rebirth. The mastery of reishi manipulation the hybrid demonstrated was flawless, creating lasting and solid items with ease. It was going to use the composition of Hueco Mundo itself to mass produce weapons, and planned on modifying captured Hollows with armaments to turn them into obedient, walking tanks of warfare.

What BG9 wanted was a rematch: all-out war.

There was no noble goal like with Ywhach, no desire to reform the world in his own favor. BG9 identified the Shinigami as unworthy of the authority they had. Nothing would satisfy him more than all-out genocide, a one-sided war with technology they could not compete against. He would overwhelm them with Rudbornn’s infinite legions, wearing them down non-stop. Not even Kenpachi Zaraki could fight forever like BG9 could. Learning the Bankai of Ichigo Kurosaki would place BG9 on a level of strength no Captain could compete with.

Except for one Sosuke Aizen.

BG9 concluded that the traitor would be released from prison once more, and would likely fight against his forces. There were no reliable calculations to be made regarding a duel between them. Kyouka Suigetsu was something BG9 could not comprehend.

If all else failed, if his army could not withstand the Shnigami’s counter-attack, then BG9 had his final solution. Rudbornn was unsure exactly what a hydrogen bomb was, but BG9 told him noting would survive it. The Knowledge was not restricted to just power theft: if BG9 could learn it, it could create it from reishi permanently. It was similar to how the Bankai medallions had been produced, a solidification of The Knowledge.

BG9 stated he could make numerous nuclear-level explosives if given time. It would cost the robot its life, but that did not matter. Extinction of the Shinigami was the only goal.

No matter what, BG9 would stand victorious. And Rudbornn would be perfectly happy with that.

* * *

BG9 was satisfied with Rudbornn’s compliance.

Standing atop one of the towers of Las Noches, the robot watched as Calaveras stood in front of the great fortress. Such useful creations. They were in perfect lines, military formation, all wielding his freshly created firearms. The same way Ywhach had organized the Wandenreich foot soldiers. And just as expendable, as well.

There was a certain satisfaction to be felt when following the order of pure logic and calculation. The weak are exterminated by the strong. In his arrogance, Ywhach had become too ambitious in his desire. To simply wipe out the Shinigami was something he was capable of doing, but he instead tried to do so much more and failed. Even with the numbers in his favor, Ywhach could not overcome his greed for power.

BG9 refused to meet that same fate. The Shinigami extinction was inevitable. And if humanity also denied his superiority, they too would die.

It was only logical, after all.

* * *

If anyone had told Tia that she would one day be training herself against Ichigo Kurosaki, she would have called you insane. After their mock fight that (literally) shook the earth under Urahara’s shop, she could understand why the Soul Society put so much faith into the man. Even with her numerous Hogyoku gifted abilities, he was still on par with her in strength and speed. Yoruichi admitted she felt like a third wheel in the bout, but managed to keep up with them to an extent. With their hour up, they sat and rested for a moment as Urahara prepared a Garganta.

“I’ll tell what, Halibel,” Ichigo said as he wrapped Zangestu’s blades up and onto his back, “BG9’s going to have to use every trick he’s got to even get close to hurting you.”

“I won’t give him a moment to try,” Tia replied. There was no plan in mind for how to take the robot down: she was going to blitz BG9 with all that she had.

Coming down the stairs from the shop above, Tessai brought Ichigo a small box with a bow on it. “What’s this, Tessai? Early birthday present?”

“Not for you,” the Kido master said, “But for Nelliel. It is her new power control bracelet. Kisuke made it on the side while he prepared the Hogyoku fragment. It is ten times more durable than the last, and the last one was really tough itself. There should be no need for another one to be made ever again.”

Halibel looked at the gift and its little green bow and smiled. She couldn’t wait to see her again. There was so much she wanted to say. But there was business to be done first.

Behind them, a tear in space formed between two large wooden poles. The Garganta slowly grew and expanded, Kisuke having finished performing Keikaigi. The shopkeeper looked down on the group from atop the pole and waved. “We’re all set here. Whenever you’re ready.”

“Call my home for me, Yoruichi,” Ichigo said, “Let Orihime know I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

“Will do, Ichigo. Stay safe. You need backup at all, I’ll be there in an instant.”

“Let’s hope we don’t.”

Tia gave Yoruichi a quick look and nodded her head. The cat lady did the same: she knew exactly what Tia was trying to convey.

“See you again?” Yoruichi asked.

“Of course. I’ll try to hold my liquor better next time.”

“Doubt it.”

With that, Tia and Ichigo entered the Garganta, the portal closing behind them. It was time for Tia to take back her home.


	10. Stand Toget

Rudbornn had told them the truth.

Not long after he had contacted Grimmjow and the Tres Bestias, four large groups of Calaveras had taken a position around them. Each one stood about two hundred meters away, swords drawn but unmoving. Following the orders they were given, it seemed. Grimmjow fired a single Cero at one of them, but the other clones didn’t flinch as the target fell dead. Another simply kicked it aside and took its place. They could not tell how many rows of them there were; the line formations they were in prevented them from seeing how far back their numbers went.

The wait for Rudbornn slogged on. Grimmjow eventually sat down in boredom and starting firing off Bala potshots at the ground in front of the enemy. His attempts to make them flinch were unsuccessful.

The Tres Bestias were much more on-guard. They had circled around Nel, keeping her hidden from the eyes of the horde. All three held their left arm, ready to summon Ayon at a moment’s notice if need be.

The slow hour passed, and in the distance they could hear the clanging of swords and footsteps on sand. He was right on time, as punctual as always.

“Get ready,” Grimmjow ordered the women, “Watch the soldiers.”

“I still say we should let you do the negotiating, Sung-sun,” Apacci whispered to the snake, “He’ll start a fight.”

“He is in charge, Appaci. Not me. Just keep quiet.”

Walking in front of his forces, Rudbornn was flanked on both sides by two Calaveras holding the same reishi pistols Grimmjow had found in the trunk. Behind them were the prisoners, hands tied together. Pesche and Dondochakka were kicked down to their knees beside Rudbornn, barrels placed to their oddly shaped heads.

“Take it easy, asshole” Grimmjow said, “We aren’t gonna attack. You can have Nel.”

Rudbornn drew his Zanpakuto, pointing the tip at Grimmjow. “Drop your weapons on the ground. All of you. No surprises, or they die.”

Just as Grimmjow predicted. Feigning resistance for a moment, Grimmjow undid Pantera’s sheath from his belt and tossed it to the side. Nodding at the Tres Bestias, they did the same.

“Let go of your arms as well, ladies. Keep your pet at bay.”

With their compliance, Rudbornn continued. “Good, good. Now, Nelliel. Walk over to me.”

The little child peered at the bull from between Mila Rose’s legs. Warily, she stepped between them and towards Rudbornn. She looked back at the women and grinned. “Nel will be okay. Nel promises.”

“Hurry up!” Rudbornn barked. He was running out of patience; his desire to spill blood was at its peak.

“Just a second, meanie!” Nel snapped back, “I wanna show kitty cat something cool!”

Frozen for just a moment, the shock from being insulted by the child blinded Rudbornn in rage. “You have five seconds, or I kill these idiots beside me!”

“Don’t yell at Nel!” Pesche exclaimed, waving his fist at Rudbornn, “She’s sensitive!”

_“How did you break your restraints?!”_

“Huh? Oh. I untied them.”

“So did I!” Dondochakka said with glee, “These guys suck at tying knots.”

This wasn’t happening. All his careful planning, ruined by these two fools. Raising _Arbol,_ Rudbornn was ready to decapitate the both of them when he heard Nel shout out something strange.

_“KA-BOOM!”_

She reached into her little green cloak and pulled out Grimmjow’s pistol. Nel pointed it at the piece of cloth the Espada had used as a marking and pulled the trigger. The kickback of the gun sent her flying off her feet and into Mila’s arms as the reishi bullet struck the hidden grenade.

The explosion was, indeed, a ka-boom. A huge dust cloud erupted from the sand, followed by a minor shockwave that shook the earth beneath everyone’s feet. From the blinding debris, two shadows rushed toward Grimmjow. It was a good thing the Espada didn’t attack them, or Pesche and Dondochakka would have been dead.

“Nel!” the larger Fraccion ripped the child from Mila’s arms, “You’re alright!”

“Nel missed you!” Nel hugged the tiki, “Nel’s glad you two are okay!”

“And so am I,” Grimmjow grinned, Pantera back in his grasp, “Now I can go kill that traitor!”

With the Espada already gone, the Tres Bestias picked their weapons back up for battle. The Calaveras were running towards them from all sides. The sound of their footsteps was like thunder: there had to be thousands in every direction!

“Well, guys,” Apacci smirked, grabbing her arm, “You thinkin’ what I am?”

Mila returned the smile. “Playtime.”

The three women moved to stand in a triangle around Nel and her brothers. Sung-sun peered over her shoulder at them. “Stay right there. This is going to get messy.”

Simultaneously, the Tres Bestias gripped their left arms and pulled as they shouted the incantation together.

_“QUIMERA PARCA!”_

The arms of the three women were tossed into the air, and quickly fused together in a red sphere that grew larger and larger by the second. From within a monster took shape, its hoofed legs soon hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Its snake tail hissed loudly as the giant’s fluffy mane exited the creation sphere. It blinked its yellow eyes, looking past its antlered nose before letting out a deafening roar. The approaching soldiers skidded to a halt on all sides, in frightened awe at the chimera.

“Hey Ayon!” Apacci shouted at their pet. It couldn’t hear her, but she felt more in control if she spoke to it. _“Have fun.”_

The bloodbath began.

Charging through the east flank, Ayon stomped Calaveras into red stains on the sand, running on all fours and flinging them into the air. The beast opened its great mouth, shoveling live snacks in by the handful. Even the troopers jumping onto its back with Sonido were no good, quickly shaken off and murdered by the snake tail’s fangs. It was a one-sided massacre.

The Tres Bestias took in their pet’s fun with a sense of pride. Ayon rarely had a chance to play this much. However, they wouldn’t be ignored. The Calaveras that had accompanied Rudbornn’s arrival were headed towards them.

“Guess we don’t get to sit this out!” Mila said, _“Devour, Leona!”_

With her entering Resurrección, the other two ladies didn’t want to be left out.

_“Thrust, Cierva!”_

_“Strangle to death, Anaconda!”_

All three of the Tres Bestias now more greatly resembled their animal motifs of lion, stag and snake respectively, growing manes, antlers and a slithering lower torso. They rushed at their opposition, Mila getting the first kills with a spinning swing of her broadsword. Sung-sun easily evaded the enemy blades with her snake-like form, bringing down each one with a single precise stab. Apacci stood the furthest back, firing Ceros into the rear flank, pressing the Calaveras forward towards her deadly partners.

Elsewhere, in the blinding dust storm, Rudbornn’s soldiers were blindly cut down without a chance to fight. Grimmjow used the sand as cover as he chased after the bull, his prey jumping around with Sonido to throw him off. It was starting to annoy him. Greatly.

“Stop running, coward!” he roared, cutting his hand to charge a Gran Rey Cero. Hearing a similar charge sound from far behind him, he spun around and fired his attack at it. The two Ceros exploded on impact, throwing more sand into the air. Calaveras continued to swarm him, doing their best to try and keep the Espada occupied.

It wasn’t going very well. The soldiers could barely match Grimmjow’s speed, evading their slashes with ease and lopping their limbs off at rapid pace. The mindless cutting was getting monotonous: time to test out his newest skill. Sheathing Pantera for a moment, Grimmjow tightened his fingers, a dark blue shadow coloring his arms. He started slashing at the air, up, down, diagonal, black reishi marks left behind where his hands had been.

_“Garra de Sombra!”_

With his incantation, the reishi cuts shot forward into the dust. Anything in their path was annihilated, as indicated by the numerous screams of death. Grimmjow took a pause as the Calaveras seemingly went on the retreat, and sensed Rudbornn’s spiritual pressure rising.

_“Grow, Arbol.”_

The wave of reiatsu from Rudbornn’s Resurrección surprised Grimmjow: it was a lot greater than he guessed it would be. The leader of the Exequias truly had made himself much stronger. That release felt equal to Ulquiorra’s!

Finally, the dust cloud parted, dispersed by the bull’s transformation. His body had risen up, supported by many large roots. Branches with small skulls grew from his back, much bigger and spikier than Grimmjow had remembered them being. Chelute’s blade had taken the shape of a lightning bolt, and his horns now curled down around his mask rather than out and up.

“So,” Grimmjow said, “You wanna play that game, huh?”

“No games,” Rudbornn answered, his weapon beginning to glow, “Not anymore.”

Rudbornn threw his weapon straight into the earth towards Grimmjow. The Espada jumped back, expecting an explosion. It phased into the sand instead. A rustling sound followed, Rudbornn’s empty sockets glowing gold as a large trunk erupted from the place he had struck. Jaegerjaquez watched it grow tall and burst with numerous branches. In the center of the newly birthed tree appeared a copy of Chelute, glaring down at the Espada.

“The hell?” Grimmjow muttered, drawing Pantera. This was something new. Unexpected.

“Surprised?” the new Rudbornn asked, wielding its own lightning bolt, “My powers have grown considerably. The Calaveras have always been the seeds of my tree, unable to grow to adulthood. But now, I can plant my spiritual pressure directly into the earth and make myself many. This is the true power of _Arbol!”_

The new copy threw its bolt like the original had, and soon another trunk grew up a dozen meters away. This newer copy continued to speak alongside the other two, all connected by one mind as each new copy planted its seed. “I can create endless copies of myself, an eternal cycle of life. As long as the earth thrives and new life is born, I will always produce the fruits of birth! My burden of creation will overwhelm and destroy you, Espada!”

All at once, the ten copies of Rudbornn charged powerful Ceros at their fingertips. The attacks hurtled towards Grimmjow at once and exploded in a blinding gold light. He did not dodge, softening the impact by crossing his arms over his face. Still, it hurt.

It was time to stop toying around.

“Well, damn,” Grimmjow said, tossing his shredded jacket aside, “I underestimated you. You might be some fun after all!

He held Zanpakuto, blade pointed behind him with his claws touching the glowing blade as he clawed down its length.

_“Grind, Pantera!”_

The following burst of energy alerted the Tres Bestias, momentarily distracting both them and the Calaveras. Rudbornn’s release had been alarming: Grimmjow’s was nuclear. Wind swirled up in a spiral from where the Espada stood, intertwining like a double helix. The transformed Grimmjow was soon visible, his body encased in a white armor plating. His large ears and whipping tail accompanied his fangs and talons in echoing his panther spirit.

With a toothy grin, Grimmjow disappeared before Rudbornn’s eyes. And in an instant, a fist was now lodged in his neck.

“Wha-what?!” the wounded copy coughed. Before he could even see his attacker, his mask was slashed into shreds with a shower of blood. The tree crumbled, its skull fruit dropping to the ground. Grimmjow landed at its falling base, eyeing the other Rudbornn copies.

“See that?” the Espada smirked, “That’s gonna be all of you.”

The original Rudbornn held both of his palms out wide, sprouting two more planting bolts. “We shall see about that!”

The skulls at Grimmjow’s feet suddenly began to glow gold, then just as quickly burst. The Espada dodged them easily, realizing the fruits could now double as Ceros. He rushed towards the main Rudbornn, and was greeted by a living shield of Calaveras.

“Out of my way!” he roared, large blue blades of energy sprouting from his claws, _“Desgarron!”_

The hovering soldiers were annihilated instantly by the tearing attack, but a second barrier quickly appeared from behind to cover the opening. Grimmjow slashed through that one as well, and the next. All the while, the Rudbornn copies were planting more of themselves into the earth, surrounding the Espada with a forest of opposition. Calaveras grew and fell from their branches, rushing to shield their master from attacks.

Many more ran at the Tres Bestias to replenish their ranks. Some of the Rudbornns began firing Ceros from their branches at Ayon, raining fire upon the beast. The hundreds of cuts from Calaveras were starting to take effect, the monster dripping with blood as it continued its rampage. Chelute took notice of the large gashes on its leg, and fired a Gran Rey Cero to exploit its wound. Ayon tumbled mid-run and roared in pain as its right hoof was blown away.

“Ayon!” Apacci called out, the distraction allowing a Calavera to sneak in and slice her in the arm. She quickly disposed of it after, but the cut was deep. “Argh! You bastard!”

“There’s too many!” Mila shouted, her and Sung-sun being pushed back as the soldiers grew in number. Even with Pesche and Dondochakka’s extra help, they were clearly overwhelmed.

“Not good!” Pesche cried out, holding Nel to his chest, “We’re gonna die!”

“I may not be strong enough to defeat you all one-on-one,” the Rudbornns spoke on unison, “But I will keep you at bay until you cannot fight anymore! And when you are exhausted from endless fighting, I will put you all out of your misery!”

Seeing his allies in bad shape, Grimmjow hesitated. If they weren’t strong enough to survive, then they should die.

That was what he would usually think.

As much as Rudbornn was pissing him off right now, something in his gut told him to do something that went against his nature. Something weird.

Help them.

He’d been helping those women for a while because Tia told him too, and that pissed him off. Usually he would’ve killed them by now. He didn’t like them, but they weren’t horrible to be around. They were… tolerable. Like his old Fracionnes.

“Ah, screw it.”

Grimmjow went over the forest of Rudbornns and dove into the Calaveras, shredding them to pieces with Desgarron. He unleashed a fury of kicks and punches upon them, carving himself out a circle. They ran at him from all sides, and dropped like flies. Bodies were piling up around the blood-splattered Espada, the troopers climbing over the dead only to join them.

Eventually, Grimmjow jumped up again and landed in front of the other Arrancar. “Nel! Give me the gun!”

“Sure things” Nel said cheerfully, tossing the weapon to the Espada. Guessing at where else he had planted the reishi grenades, he fired at the ground multiple times until things blew up. Calavera limbs littered the sand in wake of the destruction, but Rudbornn’s endless army showed no signs of stopping.

“This is bad,” Sung-sun said, gripping a wound on her hand, “He won’t stop producing his army unless we take him out!”

A dark shadow appeared over them, as Ayon leaped across the battlefield with a roar. The monster had forgotten about the fodder in favor of Rudbornn’s forest, dashing on three limbs towards it.

“Be careful, Ayon!” Mila called out, to no avail. Ayon was met with a living shield, biting through it. Even with the monster just meters away, Rudbornn was calm as ever.

“Stupid creature,” a copy said, raising one arm high. From the ground below sprung a twisting mass of roots that wrapped around Ayon. The beast was momentarily restrained by them, but soon broke away using its sheer strength. More roots continued to wrap around it, tightening their grip and sinking into its many cuts. Ayon’s thrashing began to slow as Rudbornn’s power brought it into submission.

“No!” Apacci cried out. She tried to run towards the pet, but Grimmjow pushed her back.

“Stay!” the Espada ordered with a snarl, “I won’t tell you again!”

“We have to retreat!” Mila shouted, “At this rate, we’ll be overrun!”

“You can run all you want, but I’m not going anywhere!”

Jaegerjaquez jumped into the sky, his _Desgarron_ claws extending in length by at least a hundred feet. With a roar he slashed down at the earth below, slaughtering throngs of enemies in an instant. He fired Cero after Cero into the crowd, but for every Calavera he killed twenty more dropped from every Rudbornn’s branches to replace them. Landing back down in the army’s center, he continued to maim the enemy without remorse with no sign of slowing down.

Unfortunately, his allies were not as resilient as him. Grimmjow soon had to return to fend off their opponents, too many of them for the five to handle in their tiring states. It wouldn’t be much longer until one of them dropped from exhaustion or worse.

“You should have killed me when you had the chance, Jaegerjaquez,” Chelute taunted, “You should never had underestimated-

_No._

He sensed it.

A spiritual pressure unlike no other. So high, it was unmistakable as to whom it belonged.

And it was headed this way.

Rudbornn wasn’t the only one to sense it.

“Heh,” Grimmjow chuckled, “Looks like I’m getting that fight today after all.”

“Is that who I think it is?” Apacci asked.

“Who else would it be, you monkey?” Sung-sun retorted, a smile hidden behind her sleeve.

“But where’s Tia?” Mila followed, “I can’t sense her.”

“Look!” Pesche shouted, pointing at the sky, “I see him!”

“I think that’s a cloud,” Dondochakka corrected, “There he- oh wait, that’s a cloud too.”

_“THERE!”_ Nel shouted at the top of her lungs, pointing in Rudbornn’s direction.

Panicking, Rudbornn’s copies began searching the horizon. It was too soon for him to be here! BG9 hadn’t even baited him here with Nel yet! Did he know she was in danger?!

He had to alert BG9 before-

“Yo.”

The calm greeting sent a shiver through Rudbornn. The original copy turned around to see an orange-haired Shinigami floating behind him, two blades drawn and ready for battle. When had he gotten past his Calavera shield?!

“There’s a lot more of you than the last time we met,” Ichigo Kurosaki said, “Think I might have to help fix that.”

“Kurosaki!” Rudbornn shouted, charging a Gran Rey Cero as fast as he could. Before it was even at half power, his arm fell to the ground below. _“Arrgh! You-_

His head followed after his arm.

Enraged, the other Rudbornn copies went to fire at Ichigo, but he was already standing with Grimmjow and the others. “Hey, Grimmjow. Been a while, huh?”

“Don’t be so friendly,” Grimmjow smirked, “I’m kicking your ass after this, just so you know.”

“Oh, I bet,” Ichigo replied sarcastically, now greeting the others, “How are you all doing?”

“Could be better,” Mila said, “Is Tia with you? Is she alright?”

“She’s okay. Better than that, actually. She’s-

_“ITSYGO!”_

Kurosaki was suddenly tackled full-force by Nel, head butted in the ribs by her hard mask. The wind was nearly knocked out of him as he stumbled back with her on his chest. “Nel missed you so much, Itsygo! Nel’s glad you came!”

“I missed you too,” Ichigo smiled, reaching into his shihakusho and pulled out Urahara’s present, “Brought you something.”

“Ooh!” Nel exclaimed with glee, tearing the gift open. She held the bracelet in two hands, salivating. “Thank you, Itsygo!”

“Want help putting it on?”

“Nope! Nel’s good at this part!”

Rolling up her sleeve, the child slapped the bracelet on. It began working in seconds, the small Arrancar floating off of Ichigo in a pink aura before a large pink cloud poofed in her place.

And from it, a full grown Nelliel tu Odelschwanck emerged.

“Aw,” Nelliel pouted, looking down at her torn-up clothing, “I really liked my old armor… Thank you so much, Ichigo.”

“No problem,” the Shinigami said, “Now we just need to get you your other power back.”

“You know about that?”

“I know everything. Tia’s going after BG9 now while I’m helping you with this guy. If you want to go find her, I don’t blame you.”

Nel thought about it for a brief second. “…If you’re here, that means Tia wants him for herself. If that’s the case, she won’t need my help. I’d be of more use here, even without Gamuza at full power.”

Grimmjow snorted. “She got her ass handed to her last time. How’s she gonna beat him with no Resurrección?”

Laughing quietly, Ichigo shrugged. “You’ll just have to find out later then, won’t you? Right now, we’ve got to take this guy down.”

_“Kurosaki!”_

Interrupting the reunion, the multiple Rudbornn all began charging Ceros, aimed right at the newcomer. “I cannot allow you to ruin my master’s schedule! Once he is here, your defeat is imminent!”

Turning to Rudbornn, Ichigo glared at the army. Grimmjow stood beside him, while Nelliel, the Tres Bestias, Pesche and Dondochakka faced down the forces behind them.

“I’ll take out his trunks,” Ichigo said to Grimmjow, “You free Ayon and break through the walls he puts up.”

“Whatever. As long as you let me kill him.”

“Fair enough.”

Ichigo put the two blades of Zangetsu together, gathering reiatsu between them. With a powerful upwards swing, he yelled the one word Rudbornn feared to hear him say.

_"BANKAI!”_

* * *

“This is unfortunate.”

BG9 had detected Ichigo Kurosaki’s arrival to Hueco Mundo in an instant. The logic behind his early arrival was flawed. He had no means of knowing the current situation. The only plausible conclusion was that Tia Halibel had not passed away within the Garganta and arrived in the World of the Living.

But the odds of her survival were 0%. BG9 had dealt her a fatal wound she could not recover from. Had he miscalculated his fatal strike?

Impossible. The calculations were exact, with no room for error.

Regardless, Ichigo Kurosaki needed to be stopped. Rudbornn would fall in due time, robbing BG9 of another vital component to total victory. If it did not claim Tensa Zangestu today, the plan would have to be re-worked from the beginning.

“Forces,” BG9 stated, addressing the legion of Calaveras at his flanks, “Converge on the location of high spiritual pressure. Engage Ichigo Kurosaki. Kill all in your way.”

The soldiers began their march, passing the robot. They would likely all perish, but BG9 had his contingency plan in place. As long as Rudbornn was still alive, victory could be achieved.

Suddenly, the army stopped moving. BG9 could not sense the figure that had landed in front of it. “Why have you stopped your procession? Continue forward.”

“They know better than to do that.”

That voice.

Parting through the Calaveras to reach the front, BG9’s processing unit faltered momentarily. There was no calculable way this individual should be here. But here she was. Her appearance was different but his analysis of her composition was nearly exact, aside from one abnormality he could, for some reason, access any _daten_ on.

“Tia Halibel?”

The Espada stood, unwavering, arms folded and staring him down with a look of death.

“I do not understand. The odds of your death were 100%. I am without error.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Tia said, “I’m going to give you one chance. Surrender, or die.”

“I will not. You should be concerned for your own safety. According to my observation, you do not contain the necessary abilities to successfully defeat me. You will perish if you engage.”

Tia smirked. Kisuke was right. The robot could not analyze the Hogyoku power.

“Why are you happy? You have no reason to be so. Your death is imminent.”

The Calaveras raised their weapons, aiming their rifles at Tia’s head. It seemed BG9 would not heed her warning for mercy.

_Good._

Tia’s eyes began to glow, yellow reiatsu trailing from her lashes as she floated off the ground. The Hogyoku marking on her womb emitted the same energy, its outline shining bright. Soon her whole body was gleaming, arms outstretch as she concentrated her emotions into her transformation. The shots fired from the soldiers had no effect, reflecting off her reiatsu as she changed form.

White spiky gauntlets sprouted from her wrists and went up her arms, while her right hand was protected by a giant pronged claw. Nails grew into sharp claws, and two horns curved up and around her head into a jagged crown. Her bodysuit vanished and was replaced with a thin reiastu bra, her lower torso forming into dark grey scales. Two flowing skirts hung from her hip, followed by a sinuous shark tail and fin sprouting from her back. The Hogyoku fragment emitted energy from the open space of her womb, pulsating with power.

BG9’s processing system was on overdrive, searching for any knowledge on such a transformation. The hybrid analyzed what he was witnessing, but no matter what equations or hypothesis The Knowledge could come up with, it could not comprehend Tia’s current state. “This is… illogical! Your power was taken! This does not compute!”

The Espada opened her eyes, a large dagger of pure reiatsu forming in the gauntlet of her right arm. The intense spiritual pressure took the form of _Tiburon_ , the weapon she knew she could wield with perfection. With a single wave of her arm, the entirety of BG9’s left flank was cut in two by a lash of reiatsu.

“It shouldn’t,” Tia replied, “Something as heartless as you will never be granted this power.”

Just as quickly as the first time, BG9’s remaining soldiers were slain with a single wave of Tia’s blade. The robot stood alone now against her, his tentacles forming into the Resurreccións of _Gamuza_ and _Tiburon._

“Tia Halibel,” BG9 stated, raising Gamuza’s lance at her, “You have single handedly altered the course of my operation. You are the primary threat to my victory, and therefore I must eradicate-

The robot felt the immense strike before it could register it. Tia’s kick sent him hurtling into the wall of Las Noches, a giant crater forming from the impact. It pulled itself from the wall, falling to one knee as tentacles rushed to fill the open hole in its chest. Halibel was right back where she had started, no sign of having moved at all.

“You’re done talking.”


	11. Venganza

Raw power were the only words that BG9 could identify with Tia. Since the initial strike, the robot was thrust into an unending flurry of blocking and dodging the Espada’s strikes. Her large weapon was deadly on its own, but combined with her enhanced speed BG9 was at maximum capacity in calculating where to block with his tentacles. Each blow from her felt like a finishing strike, nothing held back.

Tia could see that BG9 was keeping up with her at surprising pace. The powerful processing core of The Knowledge was reacting with precision to shield its body from fatal attacks. Even with her power-up, BG9 was not going to go down easily.

Very shortly into their clash, she sensed a familiar spiritual pressure spike in the distance: Ichigo had reached Nel and the others. Her best friend had been restored to her true form once more. Tia was not alone in noticing.

“Do you believe her restoration will be of any use?” BG9 stated, referring to Nelliel mid sword clash. Their two versions of _Tiburon_ were pushing against one another, Halibel emitting reiatsu flares from its opposite end like a jet engine to increase her downward swing. “She will die, along with you.”

With a yell, Tia kicked BG9 in the knee and slammed him across the head with the broadside of her weapon. The reiatsu scarred the side of the robot’s helmet, leaving it black and white. In quick retaliation BG9 stabbed at her with _Gamuza_ , adding a mass of thrusting tentacles along with it to force her back briefly.

Tia opened up her hand emitted a whip of reiatsu from her palm. She dodged backwards, throwing her new weapon towards BG9’s feet. She ensnared her target by the ankles and yanked it to her. BG9 pointed its Tiburon at her, water forming in the weapon as she drew him closer.

_“La Gota.”_

Three pointed arrows of water struck Tia in the chest and sent her further backwards. She had never been hit by her own attack before, and damn did it hurt. When BG9 stole her Resurrección, it had not been weakened upon its theft.

She recovered quickly. Her Hierro was much stronger than it had previously been, upgraded by the Hogyoku. No blood had left her body since the duel began. With Sonido, Tia placed herself far behind BG9. She threw the whip over her head and spun it rapidly, channeling her reiatsu into it. A whirlpool of energy hovered over her, and she was going to give it to her opponent.

_“Desgarradora Ola Azul!”_

The reiatsu struck BG9 in the back, its tentacles unable to shield it completely. The robot fell to one leg, but quickly pivoted to face Halibel with _Gamuza_ aimed at her.

_“Lanzador Verde.”_

Nelliel’s weapon came right at her, the same way it had just a few days earlier. But the result would be different today.

Tia stood in the air calmly, watching it approach at lightning speed. To her, however, it was in slow motion. When it was at the exact point where the tip of her Tiburon could touch the lance’s tip, she swung her blade up to meet it. She cut right down the middle of it, the spear splitting in two and flying into the desert behind her. Miles away, they struck something and exploded in a burst of pink.

This was only a distraction, however. BG9 held its _Tiburon_ high, water surging from the blade’s gills in large volumes and gathering above it in the sky. The robot unleashed it at Tia, the torrent surging rapidly. In a situation like this, she would resort to using _Hirviendo_ to boil the liquid and flow it away from her. Instead, she was going to play like the robot and steal it.

A simple raise of her right arm froze the water in place. It sat incredibly still, not even dripping to the ground below. With a slight whisk of her left hand the tidal wave twisted around and retaliated against its creator, faster than it had left it. BG9 was just as familiar with her techniques, and used _Hirviendo_ to save itself from the counter-attack.

“Your new form still grants you control of water,” BG9 observed, red eye glowing in the surrounding steam, “It seems we will reach a stalemate if we continue to use the powers of _Tiburon.”_

“Stalemate?” Tia raised an eyebrow, insulted, “Since when did you think we were on equal terms in controlling water?”

Her Tiburon pulsed with power, and a larger whip than her previous one emitted from its pronged opening. Ascending higher, Tia then dropped altitude and lashed the weapon into the sand.

_“Dientes de Tiburón!”_

Several large geysers of boiling water shot from the earth, the sand softening and turning the battlefield into a field of silt. Streams of hot water rushed towards BG9, the robot preparing a counter attack. It could have no chance, as a geyser suddenly erupted from beneath its feet.

“Gah!” BG9 usually never showed signs of pain, but this attack was too much for his pain desensitizers to handle. Free-falling and prone, its single eye watched as Tia formed a Gran Rey Cero in her hand before vanishing.

Seconds later, she was inches from its face.

The blast could not be blocked. It was too sudden for BG9 to register and calculate a retaliation, and for that the robot was hit at point blank range and sent into the ground, a metal meteor. A muddy tower of silt marked where it made contact, brown goop raining on Tia. She wiped her face clean, eyeing the caving crater for signs of movement.

Not even that attack had killed the monster. She was powerful, but BG9 was durable as all hell. She could see its red eye glaring at her from within, silt dripping down its cracked helmet. The machine’s cloak was gone, it’s whole cybernetic Hollow body visible now. Inside its head was a mass of wires, crackling with green reiatsu as they processed the hybrid’s next move.

“You have dealt significant damage to my outer helmet encasing,” BG9 stated, its tentacles wrapping around to form a mini gun in place of the absent _Gamuza._ The armor around its shoulders and chest opened up, missiles armed and ready to fire. “That is unacceptable.”

Reishi bullets and rockets flew towards Tia. She deflected the rapid fire with her weapon, using her smaller whip to slice the missiles from a distance. Not a single shot landed on her body.

As soon as the hail fire ceased, a green pillar of flame ascended straight into the sky from the crater. Tia gazed down through the smoke and saw a pair of reishi turbine engines hovering around BG9and a five pointed star right above its head.

“I may not have a _Resureccion_ of my own,” the robot said, “But _The Knowledge_ itself is still a Quincy creation, and this power is my birthright. I will now eliminate you through the use of my _Vollstandig.”_

Tia knew of _Vollstandig_ : the ultimate Quincy technique, the peak of their power. She had never faced a Quincy in this state all by herself before, but knew to stay alert even in her current form. The ones she had been told about by Urahara were difficult powers to counter.

She braced herself, but BG9 was already upon her. Green reishi shot from its turbine wings as the robot met blades with her again. BG9 was much faster than before, and she could see the power surging through the lines of its wiring. The two flew up higher and higher into the sky, high above Las Noches, parrying each other’s blades at speed invisible to the human eye. From down blow, all one could see where two specks of green and yellow clashing into each other.

BG9’s tentacles were forming all sorts of weapons in hopes of dealing damage to the Espada. Human pistols, axes, grabbing claws. _The Knowledge_ was going through its entire catalogue of collected information to find the tool best suited for every single attack. A few gunshots did manage to hit Tia, but she shrugged off the pain. She had not bled yet.

Tia needed to halt the onslaught for a brief moment to collect herself. She increased the reiatsu in Tiburon so it would overflow, resulting in a booming pulse blast that shoved BG9 away. It took advantage of the distance, and arced back at her with a cleaving halberd formed from multiple tentacles. Tia went to block with her gauntlet, but three more stabbing tentacles were coming in from her other side. No matter what she did, she was getting hit.

_“Aigh!”_

The halberd was blocked, and the tentacles finally pierced through her _Hierro._ Three large gashes were left in her torso, the Hogyoku filling the wounds with reiatsu to mask the pain temporarily.

Tia was aware she was not invincible, and Urahara’s warning was repating in the back of her mind. If she pushed herself to her limit, if she fought for too long, the Hogyoku would drain her life energy to keep fighting. Too long of a battle would kill her. Taking damage would only shorten her time window. She had to end this quick.

“Those wounds would be considered fatal,” BG9 stated, “But I can see there is a power within you keeping you alive. Upon your demise, I will dissect your body and discover it.”

Halibel glared at the robot. “Not going to happen.”

“We shall see.”

A burst of bright green appeared in the center of BG9’s eye. A small same colored orb manifested in front of its body, a laser beam connecting it to its optic. It was growing at a superb rate, tentacles on BG9’s back firing more energy into it.

“This is _Gottes Geist,_ ” BG9 stated, “God’s Mind. The collected power of all abilities I have collected knowledge on, condensed into a singular definite source. This is the ultimate power of my Vollstandig. It will cost me the use of that knowledge, but according to my calculations you have become too significant of a threat to utilize any other tactic than this. You may attempt to evade, but my built in homing device will track your every move.”

“Do you ever stop talking?” Tia asked, raising a single finger at the robot. A black hole began to form at its tip, crackling yellow lines emitting from the distorted matter.

BG9’s orb had grown larger than its entire body now. Now at its maximum size, it was ready to fire. “Now, Espada. You shall perish.”

It was coming straight at her, a swirling mass of green. She could sense her own power within, as well as Nellie’s and many others The Knowledge had stolen over its existence. If this hit her, she would die.

That was not going to happen.

_“Cero Oscuras, Ultima Vacia.”_

The black and yellow Cero, enhanced by the Hogyoku’s power, flashed from her fingertip, the entire landscape painted a golden shade as it collided with Gottes Geist. It bored a hole straight through the Quincy power, the orb exploding on impact. The Cero did not stop, however, and continued towards its actual target: BG9.

The hybrid had no chance of dodging, the beam too fast to register. It pierced a large hole in the center of its chest, the missiles still within bursting, adding to the fatal damage. BG9 hovered in the air for a few moments, gripping the gaping wound in its body.

“Illogical…” the robot mustered out as it fell straight to the earth below, landing with a thud on top of one of Las Noches’s pillars.

Watching her opponent fall, Tia could feel a familiar essence return to her. She looked at her weapon, its reiatsu now a brighter shade of yellow. When BG9 used _Gottes Geist_ , it truly had released the powers it had stolen. _Tiburon_ – her full power – was back where it belonged. It could only mean that Nel’s _Gamuza_ had retuned as well.

She descended down to where BG9 had landed. There was no way she could say this was over until she destroyed the body. Tia found the robot in a pile of rubble, on hands and knees. It was too beaten to stand, its _Vollstandig_ no longer active. BG9 looked up when it detected her walking at him.

“It is over, BG9,” Tia said calmly, “You are outmatched. Surrender, and die like a warrior.”

_“You!”_ BG9 stated angrily, its calm composure gone, “I do not understand where you draw that power from, but it is irrelevant! My calculations were perfect! You should be dead!”

Tia held her hand out, summoning a blade of reiatsu in the shape of Tiburon’s sealed state to execute the robot with. “You don’t get it, do you? You aren’t perfect. Nothing is without flaw. Even a machine like yourself is capable of failing. If you weren’t so blind to your own arrogance, then you might have made sure I was actually dead. The things might have ended differently for you.”

_“Arrogance!? It is you who are arrogant, Espada! I will stand victorious! That calculation, I assure you, is definite!”_

Suddenly, a large black shadow formed under the robot. It began to meld into his body, drawing it in. Tia’s heart dropped when she realized where BG9 was going. She knew the Wandenreich had used shadows to conceal their empire in, and apparently BG9 had retained the power to travel to the shadow space!

As fast as she could, Halibel swung her blade at the escaping BG9. She slashed through the shadow, but it was too late. The Sternritter was gone.

There was only one place she knew it would go.

Tia jumped off the ledge of Las Noches and vanished with Sonido, in the direction of her friends. Even though BG9 was wounded, he was not powerless. If Ichigo was there facing off against Rudbornn’s army like she had sensed, then the chances of him having activated his Bankai were high.

And that would give BG9 a very deadly advantage.

* * *

_“Getsuga Tenshou!”_

Ichigo’s signature ability cut down another one of Rudbornn’s copies, his forest now reduced to only 3 trees. The combined speed of Kurosaki and Grimmjow was too overwhelming for Chelute to handle. They were singling out each copy, the Espada chipping away at the shields while the Shinigami went above and behind, cutting the preoccupied Arrancar down. They were chopping him down faster than he could produce more seeds.

Rudbornn had faced Ichigo’s Bankai briefly years ago. Now, it felt like a completely different blade. The large cleaving weapon could fire off golden Getsuga Tenshous at a moment’s notice, unblockable and too fast to dodge. Kurosaki’s speed and physical strength was unmatched, zooming around the battlefield from one tree to another with Grimmjow.

Their partners were gaining the upper hand as well. The moment Nelliel had felt the full power of Gamuza return to her, she had performed Resurrección, and proceeded to charge through the Calaveras with her lance. Her Ceros were even more devastating than Grimmjow’s, and her calm demeanor allowed her to be much more precise with her abilities. Well-aimed Ceros blew holes in the soldier’s lineups, and with the Tres Bestias and her brothers firing Ceros of their own the army was starting to wear thin. Ayon had made a well-enough recovery as well in, its super-speed regeneration granting it more play time.

“No!” Rudbornn shouted, continuously dropping Calavera seeds from his branches, “I will not let you defeat me!”

“You’re not going to have a say in the matter,” Ichigo replied, rushing towards him. He formed two Getsuga Tenshous at once, then launched them simultaneously at Chelute. _“Getsuga Jujishou!”_

The cross-shaped attack met the Arrancar’s living shield, but it was too powerful to be blocked. Rudbornn took it completely, and was brought down to two remaining clones.

“Damn you, Kurosaki!” Chelute roared. He could feel his strength weakening with the death of each copy, and his skull fruit was growing at a slower rate because of it. The end was inevitable.

Kurosaki crossed his blades together, preparing another Getsuga attack, when he saw something rise out of the shadow below one of the Rudbornn’s Grimmjow was currently attacking. A red glow emitted from its head. “Grimmjow, look out! It’s BG9!”

“Say what?” The Espada glanced below him, the Sternritter eyeing him calmly from behind the Calavera shield.

“Worry not, Espada. I do not wish for your power.”

A green cero blasted through the living wall and into Grimmjow, pushing him away and towards Kurosaki. BG9 observed Ichigo and saw his Bankai.

_Perfect._

“Now,” BG9 aimed his glowing eye at Ichigo, “Your Bankai is… _what?”_

Something was wrong.

The calculations rushed through its processor, re-evaluating equations that had been solved prior. They were still correct: BG9 could still accurately measure the power of Kurosaki’s Bankai. But why could he not now claim it?!

This was illogical! It was the only individual capable of stealing Tensa Zangetsu! Why could BG9 not take it?!

_Arrogance._

Tia’ word ran through its cybernetic mind. Had the robot overestimated its own power? Was it not as strong as it believed itself to be?

_NO!_

That was illogical! It was unacceptable! The Knowledge was never incorrect!

Rage and desperation took over.

Suddenly, tan reiatsu began leaving Rudbornn, siphoning towards BG9. The bull’s extra copy disintegrated into pure reiatsu as the final one reverted back to its unreleased form. The remaining Calaveras began to change shape, their skull-like masks reforming into visages that resembled the Sternritter’s barred helmet. Their swords twisted and melded into rifles, embossed with Quincy crosses. Stunned, Chelute look at his accomplice in disbelief. _“No! What are you doing?!”_

“I apologize, Rudbornn,” BG9 stated, “But there must always be a contingency plan. Now… _Grow-_

The Quincy could not finish the command, a pain surging through its lower torso. It looked down, and saw a yellow trail of reiatsu leading to the horizon line, a larger yellow glow coming closer with every second.

Nel watched the newcomer approach, and smiled as she saw her best friend coming to finish BG9 off. The Tres Bestias noticed as well, and raised their weapons high.

Halibel was moving at near supersonic speed, focused entirely on the robot. Her heightened senses allowed her to pinpoint the Sternritter’s location from miles away, and she launched her spearing attack the moment it had started to steal Rudbornn’s power. If it had released _Arbol_ , it might had claimed victory after all.

She pulled on the whip in her palm, and sent BG9 hurtling through the air in her direction. The Sternritter could not move, its systems locked up as it attempted to try and repair the extensive damage to its central endoskeleton. Around the battlefield, the Calaveras began to freeze up and slump to the ground, their current master’s power deactivating and ceasing their sentience.

_“No!”_ BG9 shouted, stabbing at the whip with the few tentacles it could generate, _“Let me go!”_

Her hand reached out, talons enveloped by large curved reiatsu. With one final pull, she brought BG9 right to her and shoved her hand into its head. Yellow energy blasted out from the back of its cranium, her fingers locked tight around its flickering eye.

Tia stared at her opponent. BG9 was looking back, its body locking up and shaking. Was it afraid to die?

_“Please!”_ the robot begged frantically, “Spare me! I do not wish to die again! If you keep me alive, I can be of use to you! I can be reprogrammed! I will serve you for all eternity! I can change! Please, don’t kill me! My knowledge is unmatched! _Do you really wish to rid the worlds of that?!”_

She paused for a moment, studying BG9. Perhaps this thing could change for the better. If it could learn, it could adapt.

But now, it was groveling. It felt no guilt for what it had done. No matter what reprogramming it went through, there would always be an underlying memory of what it once was. A machine constructed to kill.

Something that had to be put down.

“I’m sorry,” Tia apologized, her eyes glowing with yellow energy, “I know what it’s like to be afraid. It hurts… But you tried to kill the ones I love. The moment you did that… _you sealed your fate.”_

Tia closed her hand into a fist.

BG9 fell limp. Its single eye, The Knowledge itself, its very existence, shattered into dust within her grasp. Tia let go, and the body of BG9 plummeted to the sands of Hueco Mundo below.

* * *

“She did it,” Ichigo said with a smile, watching from a distance as BG9’s body descended, “It’s all over.”

The entire group had gathered together, the Tres Bestias returning Ayon to its sealed state as their arms. It was a hard fought battle. They were tired and bruised, but they were victorious.

Grimmjow stood before the last adversary. He glared at the wounded Rudbornn, whom he had stopped from fleeing in the last few minutes of chaos. A number of the Espada’s _Garra de la Pantera_ darts were lodged into his back, and Chelute was bleeding profusely. “Coward. Running away from battle.”

“I am no coward,” Rudbornn rasped, his voice weak, “BG9 betrayed me in stealing my power. I was promised Hueco Mundo to rule over, and it stole my power. I allowed myself to be deceived… I was running to take my own life. Alone. I have no honor left, and no one deserve to witness a fool’s death.”

Nel arrived, standing beside Jaegerjaquez. “You lost your honor when you turned against us. I wish it had not come to this, Rudbornn… But, as one last act of respect, we will leave you here to die with no witnesses. Do you accept?”

“…Do not bury my body.”

“We will not.”

“Good… Damn it, Nelliel. Damn it all…”

With a bow of her head, Nel placed her hand on Grimmjow’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Grimmjow glared at the fallen Arrancar one last time. The two Espada’s walked away from the Exequias leader.

Rudbornn stared up at the black sky until his eyes closed, forever shut.

* * *

Feeling the sand on her feet, Tia sighed in relief as the Hogyoku’s power returned to its core and reverted her to her base form. Her eyes instantly focused on the battlefield, scanning for green hair. The moment she spotted it, she started running.

“Tia!” Apacci shouted, waving her arms over her head. Mila and Sung-sun stood by her, and pulled her arms down. “Hey! What are you doing?!”

“We’ll get our turn,” Sung-sun said.

“She’s right, “Mila followed, gesturing over at someone else, “Can’t you tell who she’s going to?”

“Wha- oh. Yeah. That makes sense.”

After she was done praising Pesche and Dondochakka for their good work, Nel grinned widely when she saw that Tia was only a dozen feet away. “Tia! I’m so glad you’re-

She froze the moment Halibel’s arms wrapped around her, not believing what had happened. Tia tightened her grip on her, pulling her in tight.

“I’m so sorry,” Tia’s whispered, eyes welling with tears, “I should have treated you so much better than I did. If you had died… I’d never forgive myself for that. You’re my best friend, Nelliel. I love you.”

“I knew that all along,” Nel said, feeling herself start to cry as she hugged Tia back, “You just show it differently than most… I love you too.”

The two friends embraced each other, minutes adding up. No words left to be said. It didn’t matter to them. Nothing did. They had each other.

* * *

Off to the side Ichigo and Grimmjow stood side by side, just watching the whole scene. “Well, looks like my job is done here. We worked pretty well as a team, don’t you think Grimmjow?”

“Hmph.”

“Really? That’s all you have to say?”

“What’s done is done. I just feel like kicking your ass now.”

“Sorry, not today. Orihime’s cooking my favorite tonight. I’m not missing it for anything.”

“You’d ignore a perfectly good ass kicking for a battle?!” Grimmjow snapped as Ichigo reached into his pocket. He pulled out two metal rods and shoved them into the sand. With the press of a button and a recording of the shop keeper’s incantation spell, Urahara’s Insta-Garganta created a black hole in the air, just high enough for Ichigo to walk through.

“You should come try some of her food sometime. She’s a lot better than she used to be.”

“Fat chance! The next time I see you, you’re dead!”

Ichigo laughed as he stepped into the portal. “Sure thing, buddy. Sure thing.”


	12. La Renacida

Three days had passed since the defeat of BG9 and Rudbornn. The destruction caused by the rogues within Las Noches was already under repair, and the lack of Calaveras was quite the oddity to the common residents of the palace. They were used to the security force’s constant presence, but they would thankfully not be returning ever again.

BG9’s secret room had been found and confiscated of its Quincy technology. No document on the Sternritter’s manifesto for conquest was ever recovered, the details of its mission lost with its destruction. There were many files and data logs connected to its hibernation pod that were to be sent to Captain Kurotsuchi. The scientist had requested exclusive rights to the information, unaware that Kisuke Urahara had already received his own copy a day earlier.

For his help in stopping their enemies, Halibel and Nel had finally given Grimmjow the title of King. Hueco Mundo was now ruled under a triumvirate, all three Espada of equal rank. Today was the former Sexta’s first day alone on the job, and he was given the honor of speaking to their Soul Society contact today.

“And that pretty much sums the whole shit show up,” Grimmjow said, very disinterested in his current briefing.

“I see…” Rukia Kuchiki nodded, scribbling details onto her notepad, “So, from what I can understand, you defeated a Sternritter with two stolen Resurreccións all by yourself? And your incredible strength impressed Tia and Nel so much that they made you sole king of Hueco Mundo?”

“Yeah. Don’t make me repeat myself, woman.”

The raven haired Captain raised an eyebrow. “You know, I doubt the validity of many parts of your story, Grimmjow. Especially the part where you say Rudbornn cut his own head off because you intimidated him so much.”

Grimmjow wanted to tell the Shinigami to come to Hueco Mundo herself and say it to his face, but that would get him in hot water. “That is my story, and I’m sticking with it, alright? Everything is fine here. Are we done? This is boring. You bore me.”

“…Very well. Goodbye, Grimmjow.”

Grimmjow yawned, kicking his feet up on the monitor desk. He put his hands behind his head and sighed. If this was what it meant to be in charge, he didn’t get why Tia had never given him this authority before.

They respected him now. And he didn’t hate them as much as before, either.

“Damn… It’s good to be the king.”

“You said it!”

The surprise sent Grimmjow tumbling out of his chair. He stood angrily to see Pesche and Dondochakka dancing behind him. “Get out of here, you idiots!”

“Nope!” Dondochakka denied, “Did you forget Nel’s rule when she left?”

Pesche wiggled his finger in Grimmjow’s face. “We are your chaperones for the day! And the next day! And the day after that! Well, at least until Nel comes back and tells us we don’t need to!”

“You gotta come with us now! We’re gonna go feed Bawabawa and play tag with him!”

“I’m not going with you,” Grimmjow stated bluntly.

“Oh no! Nel told us you have to play with us! And if you don’t, Tia said she will kick your butt!”

Maybe being in charge wasn’t such a good thing.

“I hate you both.”

* * *

“Oh man,” Rukia rubbed her face in frustration, “That was a complete waste of time.”

Behind her, her husband Renji Abarai was sprawled out on a large cushion, throwing a small ball up and down in boredom. He had come along as morale support when Rukia learned she had to talk with Grimmjow today. It was actually Captain Hirako’s turn today, but their call apparently turned into a shouting match in a matter of seconds, Grimmjow demanding a rematch from all those years ago. So he passed it to Byakuya, but five minutes into their call and her older brother had politely contacted her to speak to ‘the mongrel’ instead to get precise details on the fight against BG9. She almost passed it onto Captain Hitsugaya, but felt guilt in making the younger Captain sit through such an ordeal. He already had enough trouble dealing with Rangiku on a daily basis.

“From what I heard, none of that sounded remotely plausible.”

“I’ll have to tell Head Captain Kyoraku that we need to schedule a second meeting once Halibel and Nelliel return from their vacation,” Rukia said, “At least they won’t toot their own horn the whole time.”

“Vacation? Where could two Espada take a vacation to?”

“I couldn’t imagine. By the way, its 7:00. Go pick up Ichika from training.”

“Hey, I thought it was your turn today!”

“It is. But I outrank you, remember?” Rukia smiled smugly.

“Always pulling the rank card…”

* * *

The world was still intact, just how Shunsui liked it to be.

He had knew he was right to trust in Halibel from the start. The Espada was definitely capable of handling things like this on her own, even with the consequences of failure being high. Times like this he realized why Old Man Yama had picked him to be his successor. When he contacted Halibel about the events at first, she had told him that she had absorbed a Hogyoku fragment, and requested he tell a certain individual about her actions. It took a lot of string pulling, but Shunsui was able to fulfill her wish.

“Pretty unbelievable, don’t you think?” Kyoraku said, taking a sip of sake as he sat on the rocky floor of the pitch black room. Only a small candle illuminated the space around him. “That Halibel of all the Espada could control the power of the Hogyoku like that. Take some tough resolve and pureness for it to not reject you.”

The voice from the darkness did not reply.

“If you think I’m taunting you, I’m not. Tia herself wanted me to tell you. If anything, she’s the one doing that. And I can’t say I blame her, after what you did to her.”

Still no reply.

“Tia was one of your strongest warriors, and you disposed of her without batting an eye. If you treated your people with more respect, you could have won. And now she is one of our strongest allies who achieved something you yourself was unworthy of. You should be proud of her. But I doubt you are.”

“On the contrary, Shunsui.”

The sudden response caught Kyorkaku off-guard. “I was starting to think you lost your voice.”

“Do you forget who gave her the power to become an Arrancar? When it all comes down to it, have I not claimed victory by association alone?”

Shunsui tipped his hat and smiled. “Oh, boy. You really haven’t changed, have you?” The Head Captain picked up the candle and stood. “I do have to be going now. Nanao’s got some paperwork that needs my magic seal of approval. I shouldn’t keep her waiting too much longer, don’t you think?”

Shunsui held the candle to the shadows, breaking up the darkness just enough so he could see the face of Sosuke Aizen leering back at him.

“What a despicable man you are, Shunsui Kyoraku.”

* * *

The bar was bustling with customers, the usual crowd for a Saturday night. People were shouting across the room at each other, laughter all around. The smell of alcohol filled the air, and drunkenness was abound. One table was extra rambunctious, three of its five occupants the loudest people in the building.

“And she went _CRUNCH_ and then bam!” Nelliel exclaimed, heavily intoxicated, “That dummy robot fell _waaaaay_ down to the ground like this!” The Espada flew her hand in an arc over the table and slammed it on its surface. Candice and Bambietta laughed heartily, even drunker than the Arrancar.

“What an idiot!” Catnipp said, taking another large gulp of beer, “Serves him right for trying to hurt my new friend!”

Nel’s eyes lit up like a child. “I’m your new friend?!”

“Hell yeah!” Bambietta replied, throwing her arm over Nel’s shoulder, “You’re awesome!”

“Do you hear that, Tia!” the green haired Arrancar grabbed hold of Halibel beside her, shouting in her ear, “I made new friends!”

Ta eased Nel back out of her personal space, a worried smile on her face. She was very glad that her first taste of alcohol hadn’t affected her in the same way it did Nelliel. At least nel wouldn’t be too embarrassed for acting this way. It was her pretty much her childish side taking control in a grown-up body. “That’s nice, Nel. But I’m right here. You don’t need to shout.”

_“Okay!”_ she shouted back anyways.

Tia rested her head on her hand, gazing over at the bar where the Apacci, Mila and Sung-sun were being spoken to by a human man. From what she could tell, he was only taking to Mila and ignoring the other two. Of course, the dark-skinned Fraccion was playing it up, being overly flirty back and making the other two jealous. It didn’t last long, because Apacci and Sung-sun decided to empty their drinks in their partner’s hair. She looked away, hoping they would not start a brawl in front of everyone.

She felt a great ease being able to sit here, without any worry. This was the first time in her life Tia could feel so content, taking time to gather with those she cared about. All of her strife and suffering was in the past. A vacation in Karakura Town felt right. A free stay at the Kurosaki household wasn’t too bad, either. She was growing fond of Kazui calling her ‘Auntie Tia’.

She was technically no longer an Arrancar, either. When she had visited Urahara for a checkup on the Hogyoku fragment within her, the man told her that she had become something between an Arrancar and a Shinigami. Not a Visored, but a spiritual being that had never been defined in history before. Kisuke insisted on calling her an “Ascended”, but Tia told him it was too pretentious for her taste.

They settled on _La Renacida_. The Reborn.

Nelliel was the only one Tia told the details of her trial to, and Kisuke presented her with the same offer if he ever collected more energy from the original Hogyoku. Tia had said that wasn’t necessary: she was willing to offer some of her own power to give Nel the chance to be whole once more. Nel refused, telling Tia she had no desire for such strength. It was like she always said. _“I’m the voice, Tia. You are the blade.”_

The two really did suit each other, didn’t they?

“Something funny?” Yoruichi asked, having heard Tia laugh once to herself. The Espada snapped from her daze, reaching for a sip of her drink. “You’ve been pretty quiet tonight.”

“Nothing’s funny. Well, maybe.”

“Care to share?”

“…No. You wouldn’t get it.”

“So secretive. I guess not everything’s changed about you.”

They heard a voice calling their name from across the room. Giselle had returned from outside the bar, and brought with them Ichigo and Orihime Kurosaki. The zombie had volunteered to act as lookout for them, definitely not because they were more interested in the dead mouse behind the trash can outside. “Hey, hey~! Look what I brought in.”

_“ICHIGO!!!”_

Before the man could say a word, Nel had climbed over the table and spilled everyone’s drinks to bear hug Ichigo to the floor. She nuzzled against his face, much to his wife’s horror.

“Nel!” Orihime blushed, “You’re choking him!”

“Oh!” the Espada let go instantly, but then hugged him lightly, “Sorry, Ichigo! I haven’t seen you in forever!”

“It hasn’t even been an hour, Nel,” Ichigo replied, still regaining his breath.

“Who’s got the kid tonight?” Yoruichi asked, “Chad? Tatsuki? Oh please don’t tell me it’s Hiyori.”

Ichigo stood, dusting peanut shells from his back. “Uryu, actually. Dad and the sisters won’t be back until tomorrow, and Urahara’s still busy studying the BG9 files.”

“We just got back from his place,” Inoue said, sitting down beside Candice, “He only seemed a little annoyed on such short notice, but took him anyways.”

“Still waiting for you to give me his number,” Candice sighed, “That nerd needs to ease up and let me show him a good time, if you know what I mean.”

“TMI, Candy,” Giselle taunted, poking their head up from under the table and squeezing in where Nel was once sitting, “Nobody likes hearing about your nerd fetish.”

“Sup, bitches!” a returning Apacci announced, mugs of beer in her hand. Sung-sun and a drenched Mila were right beside her.“Ah, look! Ichigo! We got a guy here!”

“Aw, did he come to see the pretty ladies?” Mila crooned.

“Of course not, you monkey,” Sung-sun insulted, “He’s married. He just came here to pay the tab.”

Ichigo’s face went pale. “Hey, hold on now…”

“Such a gentleman, Ichigo,” Yoruichi smirked.

“Free drinks?” Bambi glugged, slamming her empty glass down, “Sign me up!”

“You’re so nice Ichigo!” Nel shouted, arms up high in excitement.

Kurosaki was screwed now. He looked to his wife for help. “Uh, Orihime? Back me up here!”

Inoue smiled back, blushing. “It would be nice of you to treat our friends, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh, come on, not you too! Tia?!”

Frantically, he looked to Tia as his last hope. His eyes begged for salvation. It would be cruel to make him empty his wallet for all of these people. A couple days ago, she would have sided with him and told them to all knock it off.

But Tia had just finished her drink. What else were friends for?

“A rum and coke, please.”

* * *

**Thank you very much for reading.**

**To the loyal followers who stayed to the end, I hope you enjoyed it for what it was.**

**The aim was always to flesh out my favorite character. Tia was my first anime crush, and still is. It’s not purely based on her appearance - as beautiful as she is – but her motif of sacrifice and how deeply she cared for her subordinates as an antagonist connected with me. Being someone who enjoys tragic villains who were betrayed and deceived, I have wanted to flesh out her character much more than Kubo did. I hope everything I wanted to show about her as a person was made clear.**

**And then there’s BG9. My favorite Sternritter. The mystery Quincy who really wasn’t that big of a villain in the main story. In my opinion, BG9 was one of Kubo’s biggest oversights. A robot coming out of nowhere needed more explanation and much more story time. I wanted to make him a nearly broken character in terms of power, but still be beatable under the right circumstances. If you’re wondering what my head cannon voice for him sounded like, look up General Grievous from _Clone Wars 2003_ on Youtube. **

**I wanted to pace the story as if it could be an official movie, so that’s why it isn’t an overly long work. One of my side challenges was to include as many fan-favorite characters as I could without overdoing it, even if some are quick cameos or name drops. I wanted this to be my tribute to Bleach’s legacy, as odd as that may sound. I think the only ones I really missed were the Fullbringers, but trying to include them did not make sense to the story itself.**

**I always have a soundtrack in mind when I’m writing out stories. A lot of my inspiration comes from song lyrics and the melody of the music. If you want an idea of what I listened to while planning, check out “Panic Attack” by Dream Theater, “Exit Dream” by God is an Astronaut, “Set me Free” by Avenged Sevenfold and “Shine” by Mr. Big (the last one is the finale theme, so listen to it first!).**

**That’s about all I have to say. Until next time, everyone. Stay safe!**


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